"நான் எப்ப வருவேன், எப்படி வருவேன்னு யாருக்கும் தெரியாது, ஆனா வர வேண்டிய நேரத்துல கரெக்டா வருவேன்“ (Naan eppo varuvaen, Epdi varuvaen nu yaarukkum theriyaadhu, aana varavendiya nerathula correct ah varuven), said Superstar Rajini with poise and style in the 1995 blockbuster Muthu.

Did he know after a massive 20 years, this dialogue will be a part of the government’s campaign to increase the voter’s turnout in the forthcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections? That is the kind of impact cinema has on Indians, to be specific on Tamilians.

If the above statement was not true, how would it have been possible for actors to have ruled us for 7 tenures (35 years approx)? It is quite interesting to spot that the Election Commission itself has come to terms with this fact and is exploiting the same to their advantage.

Be it Suriya’s first dubsmash video or the multiple creative posters with Vadivelu, Ajith, Suriya’s popular dialogues or the memes generated with the snapshot of celebrated scenes from Tamil movies, the Election Commission is in a super spree to make sure to increase the voter turnout this year with the help of the K-Town.

Filmmakers claim that their works are the result of what they see in the society. On the other hand, society claims that cinema influences their behavioral changes. This is more like the chicken and egg problem. What one has to understand is society and art (any medium) are mirrors to each other. It is as confusing as entering a mirror house. Few arguments still prevail stating that cinema is doing no good to the society.

Another undeniable phenomenon is cricket and its influence in our state. Ashwin and Dinesh Karthik are also active participants of this campaign for obvious reasons. As a patriot, I am impressed with the Commision’s efforts.

Are you a cinema verian? Then to re-establish your love for cinema (at the least) cast your vote and make it count. Tamil Nadu has always been a model state for many schemes in our country.

North Korea, since the previous two local elections that happened in 2011 and 2015 was able to record a voter turnout of 99.97%. So we understand it is not impossible but requires responsibility and ownership.

Take the same pain you take to sort out your documentation while planning to travel abroad or while registering a house under your name. Make sure your name is on the voter’s list. Don’t make yourself vulnerable to surprises on the Election Day by not being able to spot your name on the voter's list. I am sure you don’t want surprises even on the result day by witnessing an announcement that you least expected. Say no to surprises and vote!