In Tamil Nadu, voters have a long history of turning screen idols into state leaders, from MG Ramachandran to J Jayalalithaa. Now superstar Vijay appears poised to write the next chapter, translating box-office dominance into an electoral breakthrough.
With counting trends in the Assembly election showing the Vijay Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) crossing the majority mark, Vijay has confounded analysts and upended the state’s entrenched two-party order.
What many had expected to be a respectable debut showing has instead become a full-blown political shockwave, with the actor looking likely to emerge as Tamil Nadu’s next chief minister.
Vijay knew “it’s difficult to win big immediately,” says Srinivasa Ramanujam, a veteran watcher of both Tamil politics and cinema. The assumption was “a strong initial performance, building a base.”
But now he has far exceeded what most observers were forecasting for a first major Assembly outing. “He has clearly converted fan loyalty into votes on a remarkable scale,” says one political analyst.
For over a decade Vijay has delivered blockbuster after blockbuster, but this may prove his biggest performance yet: transforming “reel power” into real political power.
Vijay, a baby-faced 51 with a lush crop of jet-black hair streaked with grey, has described the DMK as his party’s “political enemy” and the BJP as its “ideological enemy”. The key question, analysts say, is no longer whether he has arrived but how he built such momentum so quickly.
“There are two or three main reasons,” says Ramanujam, deputy editor of The Hindu MetroPlus, who has covered the Tamil film industry for more than two decades. “Let me start with the film side.”
Born Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, his mother is a Christian. The son of filmmaker S.A. Chandrasekhar who remains active in the industry, Vijay grew up in Tollywood, making his first movie at the age of 10 before steadily climbing the ranks.
In the early 2000s, Vijay, known for his dazzling dance sequences, mastered a formula that made him a household name. “A typical film would have comedy, romance, action, even sports, all rolled into one. That meant it appealed to all sections of the audience,” Ramanujam says.
Around 2010, however, the formula changed. “There’s a clear shift,” Ramanujam says. “He moved away from pure family entertainers into a more action-oriented zone.”
The turning point was Thuppakki, about an army officer hunting terrorist sleeper cells, which recast him as a full-fledged action hero and signalled the start of a new era in which a Vijay film could rival the box office pull of superstar Rajinikanth.
That was followed by hits such as Kaththi, in which he played a small-time criminal who takes on a powerful corporation exploiting farmers’ land and water. Those roles cemented his action-hero identity.
From 2010, Vijay delivered what industry observers describe as a “dream run.” “His films worked with family audiences but also connected strongly with youth,” Ramanujam says. The frenzy was unmistakable.
“After Rajinikanth, this was probably the biggest first-day-first-show culture. Gradually, we reached a point where a Vijay film could be as big as, or even bigger than, a Rajinikanth film in Tamil Nadu,” he says.
Vijay, who has a wife and two children, has maintained a relatively reclusive public profile, similar to Ajith Kumar, but used film audio launches as direct communication platforms. “He speaks for 20 or 30 minutes straight to young people,” one observer says. “That has helped build a strong connection.”
In a recent speech in Chennai, Vijay addressed young supporters who are not yet voters, calling them “nanba and nanbis” (friends), and urged them to persuade their parents to back him at the ballot box.
“It’s clever mobilisation and highlights a broader shift,” says a political analyst. “Elections are becoming more youth-driven and he’s tapped into that.”
Vijay’s films have helped further his political transition. Recent projects have incorporated themes of social justice, anti-drug messaging and women’s rights. His references to the Chennai Super Kings create a bond with younger audiences.
On the campaign trail, however, Vijay’s central message was personal sacrifice and that he wants to be in public life to deliver political change.
The political pitch has undoubtedly been reinforced by his film stature. “In Tamil cinema right now, he’s arguably the biggest,” Ramanujam says. “The closest comparison is Rajinikanth, but Vijay may even have an edge.”
What makes his political surge particularly striking is that Tamil Nadu has long been dominated by the Dravidian giants, with new movements finding it difficult to break through.
Vijay has spent years quietly building the foundations for this moment. He began transforming his fan clubs into a grassroots political machine as early as 2009 through the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (VMI), or Vijay People’s Movement.
What started as a fan association gradually evolved into a formidable organisational network engaged in social work and electoral mobilisation. In 2022, the VMI grabbed 115 seats in local body elections, offering the first hard evidence that Vijay’s appeal could extend beyond cinema halls.
In 2024, he formally entered politics, launching Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and positioning it as a left-leaning alternative to both the ruling DMK and the AIADMK.
In person, Vijay remains soft-spoken and measured, those who have met him say, which contrasts with the confident, larger-than-life movie persona. Off-screen and in public appearances, his style is simple: shirts, jeans and casual jackets.
He has paired a “youth-first” economic agenda centred on jobs and education with a strong anti-corruption message. To critics who questioned his lack of governing experience, he retorts: “We have no experience in looting.”
He has taken strong positions against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NEET medical entrance examination, while stressing secularism and social justice. “We will be 100 per cent firm in protecting social and religious harmony,” he has declared.
His campaign repeatedly cast this election as a chance for voters to “render a blow to the anti-people government”.
If trends hold, Vijay will have shown that, under the right conditions, superstar charisma can still become a powerful electoral force. Tamil Nadu’s leading man looks set to step straight into the chief minister’s office.