VELLORE: The older residents of the nondescript village in Gudiyatham still remember when the young man, their ‘son-in-law’, came there for a function. He delivered an impromptu address from the terrace of a building, surrounded by countless men, women and children from the neighbouring villages. But that was a couple of decades ago. Now they are eager to catch a glimpse of their ‘daughter’ and her husband, the power couple of Tamil Nadu politics — mercurial chief ministerial candidate of the DMDK Vijayakant, and his passionately perseverant wife Premalatha.
She spent her childhood here in Sembedu village, her family’s native place, where they own a vast field and orchard. Munisamy, an old man who has worked in the family’s farm since before she was born, says, “She used to play with the kids and lend a hand in the farm.”
From being part of a large joint family, her family moved to Ambur, a town in the same district, after her father got a job in a sugar mill there, but the family visited the farm and their relatives over weekends. “They still visited us every weekend, and it was like the joint family stayed together even after that,” says her relative Ramesh Babu.
Over the years, hit by acute water shortage, many of Premalatha’s relatives moved out, to bigger towns and cities. They come here only during festivals and special occasions.
The people here were thrilled when Premalatha got married to Vijayakant on January 31, 1990. Captain Prabhakaran, the blockbuster film that gave him the sobriquet, was a year away but he was still a popular star by then, recognised by the masses, particularly in the villages. But much to their disappointment, the marriage was in Madurai and the reception in Chennai. There were no functions held in the village. And the Captain seldom visited Sembedu. The younger lot here haven’t seen him in person. As we stood there talking about the absentee son-in-law, one of the older persons recalled, with a tinge of pride, how he was there in the village during the shooting of the Ezhai Jaathi — incidentally a political drama in which his character, Subhash Chandra Bose, fights for the rights of the common man.
Lakshmi still remembers the day Vijayakant was there for a function. “He addressed us from the terrace; the whole area was filled with people from nearby villages, all descended here to see him in person.”
But they understand that he is busy. “In the early years, he was busy with his films. And now with his campaigns. We understand it’s difficult for them to visit often,” says Sakunthala, a farm labourer. “But we sure hope he visits the village during his election campaign.”
When he launched the party about a decade ago, Vijayakant was an unknown entity as a politician. Five years later, the DMDK became a junior partner in a formidable alliance led by AIADMK. This time around, their mappilai is a claimant for the top political post.
“The family asked us to vote for Vijayakant and said if we don’t like his governance, we needn’t vote again. As (DMK president M) Karunanidhi and (AIADMK chief and Chief Minister J) Jayalalithaa have been the only people governing the State for decades, we plan to give a chance to our village’s son-in-law,” Munisamy says.