Film star turned politician Vijayakanth knows his onions, and politics, and more important his price. At present working out the best possible deal for himself and his party from a host of suitors, who include DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, BJP bigwigs and Peoples Welfare Front of Left and Vaiko.

Known as the black MGR (Karuppu MGR) – a celluloid image that Captain Vijayakant assiduously cultivated as a person who could do no wrong and righted all the wrongs of the rest of the world — he tries to imitate his screen life in the real life. An investment in men and material for over three decades that he thinks would help him reap political dividends.

Son of an old fashioned Congress worker hailing from Madurai, Captain Vijayakanth entered films but politics was his ultimate goal. His rugged Dravidian looks and catchy dialogue delivery, his power punches hit the target, on the silver screen winning him countless fans. These form the core of his political strength as he forayed into politics, with moderate success.

But, it was his proverbial eleventh hour tie up with AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa in the 2011 assembly polls that came to be a master-stroke for himself, and of course lent a turbo charged power to the alliance that swept the polls. His own party, DMDK won the second largest number of seats – 29 – and relegated the other major Dravidian party, the DMK to the third spot.

On screen, he is always the good guy bashing up the baddies. And his films stuck to the sterotype in the mold of an action hero — if he was playing a cop, then all terrorists from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will be smashed and if playing a bureaucrat he will be the only honest officer putting all dishonest ones in jail. In Ramana – he plays an underground revolutionary as a professor who enlists his students in different government offices and ferrets out all the corrupt officials and kills them.

Incidentally, neighboring film star turned politician – Chiranjeevi had done a similar film – Thagore and played the professor himself.

In real life, politics and politicians in Tamil Nadu discovered his importance and he was assiduously wooed by Amma’s men. After playing hide and seek for days together, finally he relented and visited Poes Gardens to shake hands with Jayalalithaa. And the rest is history.

What the good Captain brings to the table is his rock solid vote bank of 8 to 10 per cent to any alliance. Jayalalithaa, though she was strong in her own way, the accrual of the Captain’s vote bank meant decimation of the DMK. Congress was left licking its wounds, winning only five out of the 63 it contested.

The Captain, a sobriquet that stuck to him after his character from super hit Captain Prabhakaran that was released on the eve of 2014 general elections, has become the fulcrum of politics in the state. He broke up soon after, within a few months from AIADMK, and cut out an independent role for himself.

On the eve of 2014 general elections to Lok Sabha, he persuaded himself to be pursued hard by the BJP and fought the general elections in alliance with the BJP as a partner in NDA alliance.

Cut to present : there is not a single party, barring Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK, that is not trying to rope in Vijayakanth. The DMK desperately wants him on its side, and Karunanidhi knows only too well that it might be his very last chance at a shot at power in the state. At 92, he is hoping that he would ride electoral history of Tamil Nadu and occupy the chief ministerial chair again, with a little help from the good Captain.

But Captain Vijayakanth, being the most sought after partner, is playing it very close to his chest and has kept everyone guessing. The BJP would want him on its side, so as to be able to help AIADMK supremo, the DMK wants him to shore up its own alliance and give a tough fight to AIADMK and even dislodge it from power.

Then there is the other formation, Peoples Welfare Front comprising Left parties and MDMK’s Vaiko, which was the first to call on Vijayakanth and invite him to its fold.

Vijayakanth on his part has maintained a stony silence and has not revealed his mind yet. He is slated to open up his mind to his cadres at a party convention to be held tomorrow (Friday) at Kanchipuram.

Vijayakanth had launched his political party, Desiya Murpoku Dravida Kazhagam in 2005 and has earned for himself a steady vote bank in successive elections.

“Vijayakanth’s struggle is an amazing story of the hardwork he put in to earn political space for himself against all odds,” said film academician R Hariharan. Unlike MGR, who was already riding a wave, Vijayakanth had to create a wave and carve out a political identity for himself.

In Tamil Nadu, any film star turned politician has to match his or her onscreen image. So Vijayakanth had been playing the role of the savior of Tamils – and in real life donates to charity, runs schools for the poor, feeds the hungry and generally plays the good Samaritan.

“All this investment with the hope that the poor would vote him to power one day,” Hariharan said analyzing his strategy.

He has had to create an on screen image as a savior of Tamils. His big hit with people was his film Prabhakaran that dealt with the Sri Lankan Tamil issue. Most of his films are action packed and appeal to the youth, among whom he has a huge following.

Which way would Vijayakanth go is the question that every political party and formation in Tamil Nadu is watching with eagerness.

The suspense is likely to be revealed tomorrow at the Kanchipuram party meet.

Or then, Vijayakanth may play for more time to get the best bargain for himself and his party.