“I have honesty and courage in my heart. Above all, I have a crowd willing to give their lives for me.”

When 35-year-old Vijay delivered this line in 2010 Tamil film Sura, theatres erupted in applause. The moment crystallised a persona he would carefully refine over the next decade.

Fifteen years later, Vijay has turned a politician and is testing whether that roar can travel beyond the cinema hall and into electoral politics. 

Founded in 2024, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is not merely a political party; it is, in many ways, an extension of Vijay’s cinematic universe. And Vijay the politician is a continuation of the persona he crafted on screen.

Over the years, Vijay has built a cinematic image that seamlessly extends into real life. While most stars are seen simply as actors off screen, Vijay continues to be perceived as anna (elder brother), protector, leader, and vigilante – someone close, familiar, and deeply rooted in everyday life.

After Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, Vijay is perhaps the only contemporary actor to dominate the market with comparable consistency and scale. His immense popularity and on-screen presence led to his fans addressing him as Thalapathy, meaning ‘commander’. 

This persona now forms the foundation of his political project.

Its earliest traces can be found as far back as 2009, when Vijay unveiled a flag for his fan clubs bearing the slogan Unnal Mudiyum, meaning ‘You can do it’. This, according to many fans, was a signal that his ambitions were bound to stretch beyond the silver screen.

For decades, Tamil Nadu’s politics has largely been shaped by a two-party contest: the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) – both born from the Dravidian movement that foregrounded social justice, Tamil identity, and anti-Hindi imposition.

Power has alternated between them since the late 1960s, with smaller parties usually aligning with one side. The DMK currently governs under Chief Minister MK Stalin, while AIADMK remains the chief opposition.

It is into this entrenched bipolar space that Vijay has launched TVK, promising to disrupt a political order long dominated by Dravidian legacy parties.

Vijay’s entry into politics........

© newslaundry