Mere name, fame and money not enough to be politician: Rajinikanth at Sivaji event graced by Kamal Hassan

The two actors spice up the event with their jokes while Rajinikanth said “fame and money alone were not enough in politics.

Speaking on the occasion he said "if you have to succeed in politics, merely name, fame, and money are not enough, it is something else that is required."

He said something bigger transforms an actor into a politician and then went on to say in a lighter vein that "may be Kamal Haasan knows what it is."

In his humorous best, the actor said "may be two months ago if he had asked this question he [Kamal] would have answered but now, when I ask him, he says ‘come with me, and I’ll tell you’."

Later speaking at the occasion, Kamal Hassan took a dig at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Palaniswami for his absence at the inauguration in which deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam was present.

Kamal Hassan said there is no need to pressurize anyone to respect Sivaji Ganesan. He said he would have come here even if he was not invited and would have waited outside.

“Sivaji was an actor whose popularity and influence goes beyond politics. We need not request or beg anyone to unveil this statue," he said.

Sivaji Ganesan memorial is a memorial for late Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan, located on Durgabai Deshmukh Road in Adyar, a southern neighbourhood of Chennai.

The memorial  was built by the Public Works Department in 2017 at a cost of INR 28 million. The memorial is spread over 28,300 square feet. The building is built in the Dravidian style of architecture, adorned with domes. The memorial also houses a statue of the actor.

The memorial complex also consists of a reverse osmosis plant for drinking water needs. The 2.35-metre-high bronze statue of the actor previously installed on Kamarajar Salai (Marina Beach) in 2006 was shifted to the memorial in August 2017.