Actor Vijay And His Search For A Big Political Role In Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu, it appears, loves and reveres its politicians and filmstars in equal measure. It is evidenced by its long and storied history of electing cine stars as its leaders. MGR, who broke away from the DMK, and his protege J Jayalalithaa, were cine stars who went on to become chief ministers. CN Annadurai, the DMK founder, was a pathbreaking scriptwriter. M Karunanidhi emerged as another prominent poet and scriptwriter. They, too, went on to become chief ministers multiple times and were a big success politically.

Megastar Vijay is the latest to join the actor-turned-politician club in the southern state. As votes are being counted, the actor is in a lead position, stunning his rivals. Live updates here.

Days ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly election results, multiple exit polls have predicted a victory for the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the state. Axis My India, a major polling agency, however, has said that actor Vijay's party might win up to 120 seats and become the 'next MGR'. It's important to note that exit polls often get it wrong, too. 

Photo Credit: ANI

Two years ago, in February 2024, Vijay announced the formation of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, or TVK. He also made it clear that his party will make its electoral debut in the 2026 state polls. "Politics is not just another profession for me. It is a sacred service of the people," he said in his inaugural speech. "Politics is not my hobby, it is my quest," he underlined, making his intent clear: that he is here to stay. On the same day, he announced that his upcoming Thalapathy 69, which would later be renamed Jana Nayagan (People's Leader) - would be his final film. The film, which was due for release in January, is still stuck with the Censor Board. The 51-year-old actor will contest from Perambur and Tiruchi East. The actor's party says it's committed to principled politics. "TVK works to advance people-centric politics - for the people, with the people, as one among the people," the party website declared.

Thalapathy Vijay
Photo Credit: ANI

For Vijay, the electoral fate of cinema icons Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Hassan, Vijaykanth, and Khushbu would serve as a cautionary tale. However, he can find inspiration in the rise of TDP founder and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister NT Rama Rao, popularly known as NTR. It is said that NTR's political ambitions were ignited when he was invited to the swearing-in of Bhavanam Venkatrami Reddy as chief minister. He launched the TDP in March 1982, and within nine months, he won the election and took over as the state's chief minister.

Vijay, it appears, had been planning his political moves over several years. The hints were there. In July 2009, Vijay's vast network of fan clubs - numbering around 85,000 - cyrstallised under a welfare association named Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, or VMI. Initially positioned as a social service platform, the organisation entered the political arena by supporting the AIADMK-led alliance in the 2011 assembly election. Murmurs of Vijay's political ambition followed. Earlier, MGR had famously converted his 20,000 fan clubs into party units of the AIADMK.

Years before he launched his party, his cinema, say critics, had already done the groundwork. Born into the film industry, he started off as a child actor in the 1980s. He was launched as a lead actor in 1992 by his parents - director SA Chandrasekhar and playback singer Shoba Chandrasekhar - with Naalaiya Theerpu. The film flopped, but his career did not. As far back as 2013, Vijay's film Thalaiva, with the tagline "Time To Lead", triggered buzz around his entry into politics. Though Vijay's early roles often leaned into hyper-masculine tropes, he later "consciously course corrected his image," Chennai-based film critic Aditya Shrikrishna told BBC. He started projecting a saviour figure rooted in social justice in his movies, the critic said, citing how Vijay spoke of farmers' distress in Kaththi, healthcare corruption in Mersal, stood up for women's sports in Bigil and exposed electoral manipulation in Sarkar.  "The seed was planted by his father, who has Communist leanings and was keen on joining politics," Pritham K Chakravarthy told the BBC. 

In 2020, Vijay's father, who also shaped the actor's film career, registered VMI as a political party. It did not please Vijay, who publicly denied it. The All India Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam was dissolved after a legal tussle. A year later, the party's cadre openly contested local body polls in Tamil Nadu, winning 115 of the 169 seats. In more recent years, Vijay has been closely involved with picking the outfit's electoral candidates and in setting its political agenda. 

Vijay's entry into politics was neither sudden nor accidental, and his public interventions signalled "political intent" over a long arc, Prabhakar T,  a political journalist, told The Caravan. He cited the 2011 episode where the actor sat with Nagapattinam fishermen in support of Sri Lankan Tamils, or speaking out after the suicide of Anitha, a young medical aspirant, during the anti-NEET protest in 2017.

His first big leadership test came in Karur, where a stampede at his poll rally last September claimed 41 lives, including 11 children, raising sharp criticism of his party's organisational readiness and the actor's leadership. Vijay left the venue immediately after his speech and was escorted to an airport in Tiruchirapalli, from where he flew to Chennai. Upon arrival in Chennai, he did not address any questions from the media, even though news of deaths at his rally had begun to spread. Three days later, the actor issued a video statement of condolence. "Out of anxiety, and to ensure that nothing untoward happened, I left the place," he said in his defence. A month later, the families of the stampede victims were made to travel to Chennai to meet the actor. The families were brought in special buses and put up in a private resort with no access to the press. 

In February, the actor's wife initiated divorce proceedings and accused him of abusive behaviour and cheating.

Vijay has a considerable following among Gen Z, political analyst Sumanth C Raman told BBC, many of whom are disillusioned with the Dravidian parties, DMK and AIADMK. The actor is clear that he will go with neither the BJP nor the DMK. "TVK will never join hands with the BJP for selfish political gains. The party stands firm in its position that there will never be any alliance, either direct or indirect, with ideological enemies or divisive forces. The party will stand in opposition to both the DMK and the BJP," the TVK said. 

His party manifesto focuses on youth, women and fisherfolk. The party believes that these three sections of voters could decisively shape the outcome of the elections. It promises a first-of-its-kind minimum support price (MSP) for eight selected fish varieties, Rs 27,000 as relief during the annual fishing ban period, along with subsidised diesel, insurance coverage and housing support. TVK has proposed collateral-free education loans of up to Rs 25 lakh -- from Class 12 through higher education, including PhD programmes.  The party has rolled out an array of women-centric measures, including six free LPG cylinders annually, a steep hike in monthly financial assistance from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,500, and the provision of eight grams of gold under marriage assistance schemes. 

Unlike stars such as Sivaji Ganesan, Vijayakanth and Kamal Haasan, Vijay took the political plunge at the peak of his acting career. The actor-politician remains optimistic about replicating the success of CN Annadurai and MG Ramachandran. He has called for a "whistle revolution". The whistle is his party's poll symbol. In a few days' time, on May 4, the actor and his fans will find out.