Why Tamil Nadu loves its actors and how Vijay played his cards right

Mumbai/Chennai: Vijay Joseph Chandrashekar has always been compared with MG Ramachandran, the first AIADMK Chief Minister and the actor who used his cult status among his followers to make a mark in politics. Actor Vijay has however done something that even MGR could not. Coming to power within two years of launching his political party. It took MGR 24 years to become the Chief Minister after he joined politics.

Vijay has done several firsts in Tamil Nadu politics, he is the first Christian Chief Minister in Tamil Nadu, the first one who is not overtly espousing Dravida Politics although he has not eschewed it.

The TVK’s performance has been such that the DMK government was voted out of power even though it gave a lump sum of Rs, 5000 as payout to women in the state and promised a monthly payout of Rs 2,000 per month after elections. This when several other states facing anti-incumbency managed to come to power by doling out these freebies.


Vijay’s win should not be a surprise for many, in fact years before he even entered into politics Vijay was called Ilaya Thalapathy (young leader). The Thalapathy title was with Rajnikanth another megastar who was again very popular. The Ilaya Thalapathy title was given so as not to anger Rajni fans who enjoyed overwhelming popularity. Though as Vijay’s popularity and his fans grew in numbers, he came to be called Thalapathy or Thalaiva (boss) , also a name coined from his films.

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In Tamil Nadu’s fan crazed hierarchy there are various stages to measure an actor’s popularity, the first being, fans forming a Fan club of the actor, the second involving Milk Abhishekam (Milk being poured on the actor’s huge cut out during film releases) and the last being getting an honorific title. Titles such as Thalapathy (leader) or Thalaiva are the height of your popularity.

Vijay got all the three much earlier in his career, the fact that he is a Christian mattered as he did not carry any of the caste baggage that is prevalent in Tamil Nadu. Other actors may be popular but their political success would be limited if they belong to a certain caste. The original ‘Thalapathy’ Rajnikanth was also popular for the same reasons. Rajnikanth because of his popularity too tried to enter politics but dithered. How did the younger Thala do what the older one could not?

Timing and star power

Vijay’s entry into Tamil Nadu’s politics was at the right time for several reasons. Vijay still is at the height of his popularity. The DMK government for five years in power was facing anti-incumbency. The issue of free prevalence of drugs (Ganja) and violence against women had created discontent. MK Stalin and his government was being perceived as arrogant and not connected to the ground. A visual of Chief Minister MK Stalin shoving away an old woman who had come to him seeking help during campaigning went viral and did not help matters. There was also space for the opposition as Vijay’s entry into Tamil Nadu politics also meant that people who felt restricted while voting between the DMK and AIADMK had now a choice. There was also some shrewd politik involved in Vijay’s success. By deliberating eschewing from joining any of the alliances, Vijay started off with a clean slate. This is one reason why inspite of not having any organization people just voted on his party symbol-Whistle.

How does star power influence Tamil Nadu elections? In 1996, actor Rajnikanth (45) who then had a cold relationship with Jayalalitha (as she suspected that he wanted to enter into politics) said this on the eve of the assembly polls- ‘Even God cannot save Tamil Nadu if AIADMK is voted back to power’. For then Chief Minister Jayalalitha facing allegations of corruption the statement proved her undoing. The AIADMK was routed in the polls winning just four seats with even Jayalalitha losing her seat and Rajnikanth’s fan following had played a huge role in it. Years later however in 2020 when Rajnikanth (69) announced he wanted to enter into politics and was toying with an alliance with the BJP, he backed out after he realized that he didn’t have the same pulling power as earlier and more importantly there was no space for the opposition he decided not to contest the polls.

Six years later however another Thalapathy has given a hammering to the DMK. Like Jayalalitha who lost from her seat in Bargur in 1996, Chief Minister MK Stalin has lost from his stronghold of Kolathur to a TVK candidate.