Cinema in Tamil Nadu has been a medium of social and political messages from the beginning. Film stars have always been very influential in politics in this state of South India. Thalapati Vijay, whose real name is Joseph Vijay Chandrashekhar, is carrying forward this tradition. He is counted as one of the biggest superstars of Tamil cinema. He was born on 22 June 1974 in Chennai. He started his acting career as a child artist and has worked in more than 68 Tamil films in more than three decades.
His films such as Marsal, Sarkar, Master and Leo have broken records at the box office and are one of the highest -grossing actors in India. Vijay has been given ‘Thalpati’ title by his fans, which means ‘commander’ or ‘leader’ in Tamil. Vijay has crores of fans (fan base) and is quite popular among the youth. Through his films, he has voiced issues like social issues like corruption, health reform and social justice, which became the basis of his political journey.
Fan club changed in political party
Vijay made his fan club ‘Vijay Makkal Iyakam’ the basis of his political party, which was earlier successful in local elections. In February 2024, Vijay formalized his political ambition and established a political party called Tamilga Vatri Kazhagam (TVK), which literally means ‘the victorious gathering of Tamil Nadu’. The aim of Vijay’s party is to win the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections and bring fundamental political changes in the state. TVK was officially registered by the Election Commission in September 2024. Vijay launched his party’s flag on 22 August 2024, which reflects the principles of equality, development and justice. The first major conference of TVK was held in October 2024 in Vikrawandi, in which more than 8 lakh people were gathered.
What is the political ideology of TVK?
Vijay explains his political ideology based on secular social justice. He supports equality, secularism, democracy and two-language policy (Tamil and English). Vijay, his party’s ideological pillar Periyar, Dr. BR Ambedkar, K.K. Kamaraj believes Tamil leaders like Velu Nachiyar. But he refuses to adopt the stance of Periyar’s ‘atheism’ (not to believe in God). Vijay describes BJP as his ‘conceptual opponent’ and considers it fascist and divisive. He calls the DMK his ‘political rival’ and accuses him of increasing corruption and being a dynastic politics party. TVKs promise caste and corruption -free, transparent and skilled administration. Political analysts believe that Vijay’s party is a mixture of TV’s Dravidian ideology and Tamil nationalism.
TVK possibilities in Tamil Nadu election
Assembly elections are due in Tamil Nadu in early 2026. Vijay’s TVK has announced to contest all the 234 seats in the state alone. Vijay himself will contest from Madurai East. TVK has declared him his chief ministerial candidate. The party claims that it will compete with the DMK. TVK has targeted to deploy more than 70,000 booth-level agents and has connected many former MLAs, administrative officials with them.
Vijay’s huge fan base (over 85,000 fan clubs) is the strong side of his party. He is quite popular among youth and first -time voters. His fan club ‘Vijay Makkal Iyakam’ won 115 out of 169 seats in the local elections of 2021. He can take advantage of the support of the youth and the anti-incumbency wave against the DMK government. The politics of Tamil Nadu is a bipolar dominance of DMK-AaAadmk.
TVK is a new party, organizational structure is still weak. Some political analysts believe that Vijay’s party’s vote share will not exceed 10-15%. But this DMK and AIADMK votes will definitely be cut. At the same time, Vijay’s party may have to face challenges in making inroads between the right -wing and voters who bow to the right -wing and nationalist ideology due to the ideological confrontation with the BJP. There is a huge crowd in recent rallies (such as Madurai), but converting this crowd into vote is a big challenge for TVK.
Will Vijay be successful like MGR?
However, in view of the political history of Tamil Nadu, if the DMK and AIADMK in the TV state become the third major party, then it will not be surprising. If Vijay’s party has strengthened its organization, then it is possible for him to get a vote share between 20-30%. But with such vote share, she will not be able to get a majority on her own and the scope of the alliance will remain. The upcoming assembly elections can give a new turn to the politics of Tamil Nadu. Whether Vijay will be successful in electoral politics like MGR or Kamal Haasan will be told, it will tell the results of 2026.
Tamil Nadu politics and film stars
CN Annadurai
In Tamil Nadu politics, the impact of the film stars has a unique and deep history. The alliance of Tamil cinema and politics is decades old, which is deeply associated with the Dravidian movement and Tamil identity. Its start C.N. Annadurai (Konjeevaram Natarajan is from Annadurai), who established the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 1949 and became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 1967. This was the first time that a person associated with cinema created such a big political influence.
MG Ramachandran
After Annadurai, M.G. Ramachandran came, known as MGR. He was the first superstar of Tamil cinema. His image in MGR films was that of a hero fighting for the poor, farmers and laborers. He broke away from DMK in 1972 and created Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Admk, later AIADMK). In 1977, he became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and remained in power from 1977–1987. His welfare plans, such as mid-day meal scheme and charismatic image, made him the messiah of the public. MGR proved that the popularity of cinema can be converted into votes.
J. Jayalalitha
J. Jayalalithaa was the MGR co-star and a famous Tamil cinema actress. He gave many hits in the 1960s-70s. He had a strong and charismatic screen image. Jayalalithaa took over AIADMK after MGR’s death (1987). She was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu six times till 1991-2016. His plans, such as Amma Canteen and Amma Health Scheme, increased her popularity among the poor and women. Jayalalithaa converted her glamorous image of cinema into the image of a strong administrator. She was the first woman Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
M. Karunanidhi
M. Karunanidhi, the veteran DMK leader and father of the current Chief Minister MK Stalin, was a famous screenwriter. His films such as Paraskti (1952) promoted Tamil nationalism and social reform. Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu five times till 1969-2011. His writing in cinema brought DMK ideology to the people. He was a great supporter of Tamil literature and culture. Karunanidhi made cinema a weapon to promote the ideology of DMK.
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