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Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

Don’t dismiss Vijay’s victory as irrational. It’s Tamil people’s emotional investment

Tamil voters are not naive; rather, they engage in a form of political storytelling that blends aspiration with identity. Hero worship has its own logic.

Such is the hero worship for actor-politician Vijay in Tamil Nadu that 41 deaths at the Karur stampede, swirling rumours about his personal life and even a stalled last film Jana Nayagan could not dampen his chief ministerial hopes. The arc of the hero remains intact. In fact, adversity often deepens the narrative: the hero besieged, yet unbroken. That is the mythology of a movie hero. In Tamil Nadu, that cinematic mythology travels seamlessly into politics.

Tamil voters are not naive, swept away by glamour; rather, they engage in a form of political storytelling that blends aspiration with identity. Hero worship, often dismissed as irrational, operates within a logic of its own in the state. It is about trust built over years of emotional investment. A star’s dialogues, gestures, and public appearances become part of the public psyche.

The distance between a film set and the secretariat has never been particularly wide in the state. With Vijay looking at a major victory in the 2026 Assembly elections over long-time custodians Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India........

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