From Rajinikanth to Jayalalithaa: South Indian actors who joined politics

Popularly known as MGR, Ramachandran is considered an icon of the Tamil Film industry and served as the state's CM from 1977 to 1987. He is the founder of AIADMK, one of the major parties of TN

Between 1961 and 1980, Jayalalithaa acted in 140 films, establishing herself as a successful actor in the Tamil film industry. She later joined AIADMK and became the youngest CM of Tamil Nadu.

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Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao started out as an actor and even received Padma Shri for his contributions to films. He later founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and served as Andhra Pradesh CM thrice

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Rajinikanth had a stint with politics from 2017-2021 with his party Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM). He later disbanded the party due to health issues.

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Kamal Haasan is one of the enigmatic stars of the south who is worshipped pan-India. In 2018, he floated his own political party Makkal Needhi Maiam, where he serves as the President

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The megastar is immensely popular for his acting and dancing skills across India, and ventured into politics with Congress. He was made the Minister of State with independent charge for the Ministry of Tourism

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