May 04, 2026 15:15 pm IST

Opinion | They Sniggered At Vijay In 2024. That Was DMK-AIADMK's Biggest Mistake

The mistake the DMK and AIADMK made vis-a-vis Vijay was to underestimate him. They did not realise what he quietly took away from them in two years.

TS Sudhir TS Sudhir Columnist

When Vijay decided to make his political foray in 2024, the DMK and AIADMK sniggered. He was dismissed as yet another actor with stars in his eyes. Not surprising because in the 2021 elections, cinema legend Kamal Haasan had flopped in a political role. As had thespian Sivaji Ganesan in the 1980s. Vijaykanth had failed to set the Cauvery on fire. Sarathkumar and Khushbu were just part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) line-up. Rajinikanth decided it was best to stay away. 

Two years later, on May 4, the day 'Agni Natchatram' began - the hottest period in south India, when the sun blazes like a ring of fire - Vijay eclipsed the party of the rising sun. The two leaves wilted. 'Thalapathy' Vijay defeated 'Thalapathy' MK Stalin. The man, spoken of as the 'X' factor in the 2026 election, made Stalin an ex-chief minister. 

To the untrained political eye and mind, it would be easy to dismiss the win as the vote of a starstruck electorate. Far from it. The victory of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) marks the systematic dismantling of a Dravidian binary that has existed in Tamil Nadu's political space for over five decades. The verdict is proof that the state's electorate, particularly the youth, have blown the whistle on the Dravidian........

© NDTV