Recent tragic incidents in Tamil Nadu have brought the dangerous consequences of the immense celebrity worship in Tamil society to global attention. This is not just an infatuation with a single actor; rather, it is a clear indication of how deeply Tamils—especially the youth—have been psychologically affected and immersed in a world of fantasy, neglecting to think about their own language, race, culture, and political rights.
This cinema craze, which has affected all segments of society, is now becoming a threat to the very existence of the Tamil people in the future. This article deeply analyzes the backward state of Tamils due to cinema obsession and explores how we can stop this decay and what we must do in the coming years.
The Backwardness of Tamil Society due to Cinema Craze: A Psychological Impact
Despite Tamil Nadu’s progress in development indices, education, and health (as indicated by NITI Aayog data), the phenomenon of people rushing emotionally in large crowds behind film stars is a contradiction. The reasons behind this psychological bondage, which is not seen in other developed states, are deeply thought-provoking:
• Vacuum for True Leadership: Over the decades, as trust in political and social leaders declined, Tamils began searching for film celebrities to fill their void. This is the result of people beginning to seek solutions to their real-life problems, not in reality, but from the ‘hero figures’ they see on screen.
• False Celebration and Search for Validation: The youth, instead of celebrating real-life achievers, consider pushing and shoving for film stars as their identity and a heroic feat. The excessive attention from social media and traditional media further encourages this celebration, creating an illusion that it is a ‘national duty.’
• The Irresponsible Role of the Media: Media outlets, purely for their TRP (Television Rating Point) profit, artificially inflate cinema news throughout the day. Without any sense of social responsibility, interviewing emotionally charged fans and repeatedly airing those visuals serves as a major strategy to fuel this craze, thereby corrupting the societal mindset and leading to violence and tragedy.
The Decay of Future Generations and the Tamil Existence
The devastation caused by the cinema craze does not stop with individual deaths. It has the potential to fragment the future generation and the political strength of the entire Tamil society.
• Political Fragmentation: A nation’s political leaders must be chosen based on their policies, ideologies, and administrative capacity. However, when leaders are chosen purely based on image and without depth, due to this cinematic obsession, it trivializes the political arena. Such leaders will prioritize protecting their image rather than making policy-based political decisions.
• Cultural Regression: Deep thought about race, language, and Tamil national history is receding from the youth. They spend hours waiting for film stars instead of confronting real social issues. This mindset distracts Tamils from crucial matters like political rights struggles, economic reforms, and educational advancement.
• Social Embarrassment: While many developed nations are respected globally through their scientists, economists, and social activists, Tamils face international reproach due to the tragedies caused by a fanatical obsession with a film star. This completely fragments the intellectual identity of the Tamil society.
What Must We Tamils Do?
To prevent this deep social decay and to restore Tamil society, we, the Tamils, must act immediately and on a long-term basis.
❶. Psychological Awareness and Education:
• Critical Analysis Skills: We must encourage an educational system that fosters skills for the critical analysis of media and politics in school and college curricula.
• Psychological Support: We must raise awareness about the psychological impacts of cinema craze among the youth and provide them with social and psychological support to face real-life challenges.
❷. Accountability for the Media:
• Rejecting TRP: We must ignore harmful news and support alternative media that discuss genuine political debate, social reforms, the economy, and cultural greatness. The best lesson we can teach irresponsible media is for the public to boycott them.
❸. Deep Political Engagement:
• Celebrating Ideologies: We must uplift and celebrate leaders and movements that fight for policy, ideology, social justice, and ethnic rights. We must reject the images of actors and support only those leaders with real political activism.
• Tamil National Thought: We must deeply realize the historical greatness and unique political rights of the Tamil race and teach their importance to the next generation. Every Tamil must have a clear political vision of the ideology they are pursuing.
In the Years to Come, What We Tamils Must Do
To escape the dangerous consequences of the cinema craze and build a strong society for future generations, each of us must act as an agent of change.
In the coming years, instead of the Tamil identity being merely sought in cinema, we must emerge as an intellectual society with capabilities in global politics, economics, and military analysis. We must dedicate our energy and attention not to the celebration of actors’ successes, but we must resolve to emerge as guardians of Tamil culture, warriors for political rights, and intellectual beacons of the modern world.
This is the time to rise from the quicksand of cinema obsession and achieve real historical accomplishments.
