Vijay: The superhero is now facing the masses

13 years ago, an interviewer from NDTV Hindu asked C. Joseph Vijay, popularly known as Vijay, “If you wanted politics, which organization would you join and when?” It was a question, often faced by top actors in Tamil Nadu where politics and cinema are always intertwined. Many would avoid it.

However, Vijay responded in a measured voice. “Right now, my interest is only in cinema… I wanted to be an actor. At that time I did not expect that people would put me in such a big category… Similarly, time will make me stay in the position. If that happens, I am determined that for the people of Tamil Nadu I have to do something…We cannot come [to politics] just because someone writes or gives a composition. The foundation for that must be strengthened. We always do it by turning the fans’ organization into a people’s organization,” he said.

Now, the actor is in the limelight after delivering a political speech at his first Tamilga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) youth conference in Vikravandi recently. In the first, his well-rehearsed speech, delivered in a cinematic style full of punch dialogues, hit all the right notes, in terms of how he captivated his audience. Without naming any political party, he made his party’s stance clear: it will oppose “sectarian” forces and oppose politics in what he described as the looting of Tamil Nadu by the same family that invoked the name of Dravidian stalwarts Periyar EV Ramasamy and CN Annadurai. In short, the message is that he will keep distance from BJP and take on the ruling DMK.

Besides, another message from Vikravandi is that Tamil Nadu has regained political traction after the demise of leaders like M. Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa. Crowds of people packed the convention center and traffic jams on highways were proof of this. However, there is no guarantee that crowds will convert into votes.

However, apart from the anti-corruption plank, Vijay did not offer anything new to the voters of Tamil Nadu. He preferred the status quo to the bilingual formula of the Dravidian groups (against the imposition of Hindi); abolition of the position of Governor; denial of NEET-based admissions to medical courses; and restoring Education as a State List subject. He chose to accept Periyar as one of the guiding lights of his party without the atheistic view of the social movement. He also sees no difference between “Dravidam” and “Tamil Nationalism” and believes that they are the two eyes of this country, something that the followers of these two ideologies would strongly reject.

Vijay’s collection of his party’s commitment to “national principles of social justice” is as incomprehensible as the “Annaism” coined by the late MG Ramachandran to define the ideology of his AIADMK. His opposition to “sectarian” politics seems absurd considering that he trivializes “fascism” by likening it to payasam (a delicacy).

Soft stance on AIADMK

However, he has revived Tamil Nadu politics by announcing that he is ready to share power with allies. Unlike other new entrants, who have presented themselves as an alternative to the two established players, the DMK and the AIADMK, Vijay has remained silent this time. While Vijay’s bid to share power is made by putting TVK in the position of power and viewing potential allies as junior partners, his soft approach towards the AIADMK subtly emphasizes that politics is pregnant with opportunity.

The spark for Vijay’s entry into politics was started long ago by his father and director, SA Chandrasekhar, who introduced him as a child artist in Vetri (1984) and then as a young hero in Naalaiya Theerpu (1992). When the first few films bombed, Chandrasekhar approached Vijayakant, one of the top actors of the time, to make Senthoorapandi with Vijay. It worked wonders and over the years, Vijay turned into a bankable actor, initially earning the moniker Ilaya Thalapathi (young commander). Later he entered the big stage and became Thalapathi, a sobriquet that was used by followers to address the Chief Minister MK Stalin. Chandrasekhar carefully cultivated Vijay’s following early on; he encouraged his son to be accessible to fans; and was instrumental in transforming the fan club into Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (People’s Movement).

Vijay is built on this platform. He never lost an opportunity to take a political line on sensitive issues in the region. He did the rest without the light of the cameras. For example, in 2018, under cover of darkness, he knocked on the doors of the grieving families who were killed by police firing on anti-Sterlite protesters in Thoothukudi and consoled them. His PR apparatus made sure that these actions came out in the media later.

Sometimes, he would enter the stage as well. In 2008, at the height of the civil war in Sri Lanka, he went on a one-day fast in Chennai to demand an end to the conflict. Accompanying him on stage were his mother Shobha Chandrasekhar and Bussy N Anand, former Congress member and Puducherry MP. The latter, who led the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, has since played a key role in transforming the organization into a political party and is its general secretary.

Lack of clarity

Although Vijay is involved in issues that may give him political power, he did not specify which train he will board and when. This was evident in his brief association with birds of various feathers. Initially, his father wanted him to float his party during 2009, when senior Dravidian leaders M. Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa in action. At the same time, he met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and discussed politics, cinema, Makkal Iyakkam with his group of followers. However, he has been skeptical about dipping into the polls.

In 2011, Chandrasekhar met Jayalalithaa and announced support for Ilaya Thalapathi Vijay Makkal Iyakkam to AIADMK in the Assembly elections. That same year, Vijay flew to Ramlila Maidan in Delhi to express solidarity with social activist Anna Hazare, who was actively seeking the establishment of an anti-corruption Lokpal. In 2014, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP counterpart.

His meeting with Mr. Modi however, faced the BJP’s ire for making fun of the Digital India initiative and the Goods and Services Tax in the movie Mersal. Senior BJP leader H. Raja shared the player’s voter ID card to confirm that his full name was Joseph Vijay, a Christian.

Vijay cited the political achievements of MGR and NT Ramarao but those were achieved in a different era. There is no doubt that Vijay’s start to the election comes with little certainty given his frenzied followership, but it is unlikely that he will take power overnight. If Vijay goes alone in the 2026 Assembly elections, he will surely hurt one of the two main players, depending on the strength of their alliances, similar to what Vijayakant did in 2006. To achieve one success, however, he needs to be patient, plan his moves, and hit the ground running to run a marathon and not a sprint.