'communists 'in TN (cpi/m) have never come close to being in power.

they were. communists were the second most popular party in the 50s. but then the newly formed Dravidian party (DMK) started using cinema as a propaganda tool. this scuttled the communist movement. the dumb masses would commit suicide for MGR if he was harmed in a movie scene! these masses were(and still are) the asset of Dravidian parties.

none of the Dravidian movement's actual principles like rationalism,anti-casteism, marriage outside caste (TN is at the absolute bottom in non-endogamous marriage) , feminism, would fly with the masses.

dumbos like u/rifinwono2 are one of the masses who believes all the lala claims about Soriyar and his movement. but for Tamil cinema, there wouldn't be Dravidian parties. now the dominant land-owning communities have acquired the taste of unbridled power --keeping brahmins out whilst subtly keeping dalits under their thumb-- all this left-right political ideology will never take root in TN. It's by OBC and for OBC.

neither the left's strategy (like anti-casteism) nor the right's strategy(hindu-muslim polarization, showing xtian bogey) won't work in TN unless they break into Tamil cinema!