From silver screen to building TVK into political powerhouse: The Vijay story

2 hours ago 2

ARTICLE AD BOX

In 2021, Vijay's fan who mobilised under the banner of Vijay Makkal Iyakkam won the local body polls using his images during the campaign, it set a tone for what was coming. In 2024, Vijay finally laucnhed his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

Until 15-20 years ago, few would have imagined that a shy and mild-mannered actor would not just one day launch a political party, but also led it to emerge as the the single-largest party in its debut election.

Vikraman, who directed Vijay in 'Poove Unakkaga,' recently told PTI: “Even back then, I was confident that he would go on to rule the cinema industry. I knew there was something special about him that would make people go crazy for him.”

The movie also turned into a big success, making Vijay a megastar. His family had by then understood that giving an image to the star was important to building his popularity.

People also ask

AI powered insights from this story

Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the single-largest party in its debut election, winning 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly. Despite this, the party fell short of the majority mark of 118 seats required to form the government independently.

Following the election results, Congress, CPI, and CPIM have extended their support to TVK. VCK has also reportedly agreed to join the alliance, helping Vijay's party cross the majority threshold.

Confusion arose because Vijay's TVK, despite emerging as the single-largest party, initially fell short of the 118-seat majority mark. The Governor reportedly waited for Vijay to consolidate enough support before extending an invitation to form the government.

Vijay's political journey has been marked by his evolution from a popular actor to a political figure. His films often carried political undertones, and his fan base was mobilized to support political initiatives, culminating in the launch of his party, TVK.

The Sarkaria Commission Report (1983) outlines the role of the governor in government formation. It suggests that the leader of a single party with an absolute majority should be invited to form the government. If no single party has a majority, the governor should select a chief minister from pre-election alliances, the largest single party with support, or post-election coalitions.

Vijay's family introduced the promotional title "Ilaya Thalapathy" (Young Commander) for his third film itself, Rasigan (1994), which reflected their confidence and understanding of the importance of branding. This moniker would evolve over more than a decade as he matured into the undisputed "Thalapathy."

Years later, 51-year-old Chandrasekar Joseph Vijay is now a Thalaivan, aspiring to become the Muthalvar (chief minister).

In 2021, Vijay's fan who mobilised under the banner of Vijay Makkal Iyakkam won the local body polls using his images during the campaign, it set a tone for what was coming. In 2024, Vijay finally laucnhed his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

Ahead of his ‘Thalaiva’ movie release with ‘Born to Lead’ tagline, Vijay had dialed Anna Hazare when he was leading the anti-corruption movement in Delhi, expressing his support and also hinting at his interest in politics.

Two years later, his movie was allowed to be screened only after the removal of the tagline. The AIADMK was in power at that time.

When he tackled on-screen the challenges faced by farmers in his film Kaththi (2014) it marked the arrival of a messiah for his fans. As his stardom grew, his films began to mirror an increasingly political undercurrent.

Atlee's Mersal (2017) stirred political controversy as a dialogue condemning the GST provoked BJP leaders, with H Raja publicly commenting on Vijay's Christian faith and accusing him of fueling a "hatred campaign."

His film Sarkar (2018) focused on election fraud, intensifying his political ambitions. Later after the 2018 Thoothukudi police firing, Vijay visited the victims' families and offered a compensation of ₹1 lakh each.

Today, Vijay carries along the single-largest after massive victory in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, scrambling for numbers to stake claim to form the next government in the state. And he's short of just one seat.

So far, Congress, CPI, and CPIM have extended their support to Vijay's TVK. Thol Thirumavalavan-led VCK, according to the report, is reportedly eyeing Deputy CM post if the party joins the TVK-led new government, a source in the pro-Dalit organisation said on Saturday.

Thol Thirumavalavan will announce its official stand on supporting Vijay's TVK in forming the government in the state, later in the day.

(With agency inputs)

About the Author

Livemint

For about a decade, Livemint—News Desk has been a credible source for authentic and timely news, and well-researched analysis on national news, business, personal finance, corporates, politics and geopolitics. We bring the latest updates on all the listed companies on BSE and NSE, startups, mutual funds, Union ministries, geopolitics, and untapped human interest stories from around the world, helping our readers to stay informed on the latest developments around the globe. Our Coverage Areas 1. Companies: Comprehensive news and analysis on listed and unlisted companies, corporate announcements, corporate chatter, C-suite, business trends, hiring alerts, layoffs, work-life balance, world's top billionaires and richest and more. 2. Personal finance: Insights into mutual funds, small savings schemes like - PPF, SSY, post office savings scheme, stock to watch, personal loans, credit cards, top bank FDs, real estate, income tax and more. 3. Politics: Comprehensive coverage of general elections, state elections and bypolls, Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, Parliament, PMO, PIB, finance ministry, home ministry, among other union ministries and government departments. 4. National News: From metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and e to untapped stories from rural India, we cover human interest, health, education, crime and courts, and law and order, among other areas of public interest. 5. Economy: In-depth analysis of India's macro and micro-economic indicators like- GDP, inflation, forex, fiscal deficit, current account deficit, interest rate cycle, economic recovery, RBI circulars, indirect taxes, GST, Insolvency and Bankruptcy imports, exports and everything that impacts Indian economy. 6. Geopolitics: Well-rounded and deeply researched coverage on US News, Oval Office European Union, Ukraine Russia War, middle-east crisis, royal families and global leaders like - Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping and premiers of other leading economies in the world. Meet the Team 1. Gulam Jeelani, Political Affairs Editor 2. Sugam Singhal, Senior Assistant Editor 3. Chanchal, Assistant Editor 4. Sanchari Ghosh, Chief Content Producer 5. Pratik Prashant Mukane, Chief Content Producer 6. Sayantani Biswas, Chief Content Producer 7. Ravi Hari, Deputy Chief Content Producer 8. Garvit Bhirani, Deputy Chief Content Producer 9. Akriti Anand, Senior Content Producer 10. Jocelyn Felix Fernandes, Senior Content Producer 11. Swastika Das Sharma, Content Producer 12. Mausam Jha, Content Producer 13. Riya R Alex, Trainee Content Producer

Read Entire Article