"I take the good from all ideologies. I have read Communist literature, I have read RSS thinkers." These are Pawan Kalyan's words in an interview in 2009.

"No Left or Right. I am Centre. My party will draw the best from all ideologies." These are Kamal Haasan's words at the Madurai event yesterday.

When he was new to politics, Power Star projected himself as a non-ideological person. Kamal, too, is doing the same. He wants the world to see him as a centrist who learns from all ideologies.

There is another, less-appreciated similarity between the two. Pawan was time and again stating in interviews way back in 2009 that NTR had made the Telugus proud in the 1980s. He was subtly appealing to Telugu self-respect. But this was not Praja Rajyam Party's main political plank. It was more against the TDP than the Congress. Kamal, being a Tamilian, is set to talk about the Dravidian identity. And he is more against AIADMK than DMK.

And by a strange coincidence, both Pawan and Kamal are now glorifying South Indian unity.