Simran campaigns for Amma

There is a vast difference between south Chennai and north Chennai. While south Chennai looks like a metro city, north Chennai is more like a small town.

We were heading to Tondiarpet, a place near of the northern end of the harbour. It falls under the Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency, and the sitting legislator is All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's Sharat Babu, one of the few MLAs from the ruling party who could break into the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's bastion metropolitan Chennai in the last elections.

So, it is but natural that actress Simran decides to start campaigning for Amma from such a constituency. Simran had left the Tamil film industry after getting married to her childhood friend a couple of years ago. After giving birth to a child, she has come back to Chennai perhaps to act in films.

But what awaited her was something different. She who sizzled on the Tamil screen was chosen by Jayalalitha to be a 'star' campaigner for AIADMK.

It was seven in the evening when we reached Tondiarpet, but the place where the star was to address a public meeting was already overflowing with thousands and thousands of people. The police was seen stopping people from entering the area as there was no place there to accommodate all of them.

But the huge stage that was erected was empty except for a few plastic chairs.

Text: Shobha Warrier
Photographs: Sreeram Selvaraj

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