Costly campaign: Kamal Haasan takes Rs 1.5 lakh helicopter ride to Tiruchy
TIRUCHY: Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam founder Kamal Haasan on Sunday flew to Tiruchy from Madurai by a private chopper after his chartered flight from Chennai to Rockfort city was diverted.
The actor was scheduled to arrive in Tiruchy from Chennai on Sunday afternoon but his flight was diverted to Madurai due to runway re-carpeting work at the Tiruchy airport. From Madurai, he hopped on a private chopper to reach Tiruchy, a ride that would have cost at least Rs 1.5 lakh.
Interestingly, chartered flights and chopper rides are rare in Tamil Nadu politics, with most leaders travelling by road or commercial flight. While the late DMK patriarch MK Karunanidhi opted to travel by train in his later years, late AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa used choppers to visit campaign sites only due to her health condition.
Haasan's costly efforts to keep up to his campaign schedule brought great joy to the party cadres. Hundreds of party workers had been awaiting his arrival at the Tiruchy airport, with two troops of folk artists on standby to welcome him.
However, they were crestfallen to hear his flight was diverted. Just a few minutes later they were informed, much to their relief, that their leader would take a chopper and arrive at the private helipad at Moris city, 5km from the airport. The cadre, along with the folk artists, moved to the helipad to welcome him.
Hundreds of people assembled at Moris city were delighted to see Kamal, accompanied by his younger daughter Akshara, step off the chopper and wave to the crowd.
"When I heard Kamal Hasan arriving by helicopter, I immediately left to see him. I was very happy to see the charming Kamal sporting sunglasses. It was like a scene from a movie," said Palaninathan, an MNM supporter from Tiruchy.
Airport sources said that a private ride from Madurai to Tiruchy would normally take 25 mins and cost anywhere between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh.
From the helipad, Kamal went to a luxury hotel, where he freshened up before departing for his campaign. In hope of catching a glimpse of the star, party cadres tried to push through the hotel’s entrance in large numbers, rushing against the glass door and shattering it to pieces in the process. None were injured.