Welcome to this week’s edition of the HT Entertainment newsletter! All the country can talk about right now is the ascension of Tamil superstar Vijay as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Fans’ Thalapathy is now sitting in the chair once held by stalwarts like MG Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa, and Karunanidhi. And Vijay borrowed MGR’s playbook to demolish the very party he established
The exit polls have nowhere to hide in Tamil Nadu. None of them gave TVK more than 10 seats in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Eventually, the Vijay-led party won 108, just 10 short of the majority mark. Vijay is the new CM, and all political ‘experts’ have been left with their jaws on the floor.
A leaf out of MG Ramachandran’s playbook
The interesting thing is how Vijay went about establishing is political credo is similar to how MG Ramachandran did it four decades ago. Like Vijay, MGR was the top Tamil star of his era, the original Tamil superstar. He reigned over the silver screen in the 50s and 60s. His early films were a mix of swashbuckling action and romance, but it was historical dramas that made him a matinee idol. He appeared in hits like Madurai Veeran and Chakravarthi Thirumagal, playing iconic Tamil historical figures. This lent him credibility as the on-screen representative of Tamil pride. As he grew older, MGR moved to films set in the modern era, addressing issues affecting the common man. In Rickshawkaran, he is a vigilante fighting crime, while in Idhayakkani, he is a kind businessman who shares his wealth with labourers. This turned him into Makkal Thilagam (Jewel of the People), paving the way for an active political career.
MGR rose to fame with historical action films.
Vijay took that approach, marrying it to the mass entertainment cinema of the 2000s and 2010s. The actor began as a teenager in the early 90s, but it was the success of Ghilli and Pokkiri a decade later that turned him into a superstar. Action films were his forte, and it suited him well, as Tamil cinema was entering a phase of mass action. Kaavalan started that for him in 2011. From 2015 onwards, Vijay starred in a string of commercially successful action films helmed by new-age filmmakers. Lokesh Kanagaraj, Atlee, and Nelson all gave some of their biggest hits with him. The thing that sets Vijay’s films apart from other actioners is the social responsibility element of their narratives. In Mersal, he tackled medical corruption. In Theri, he took on the rapist son of a powerful politician, while in Beast, he gunned down terrorists. Even in films where he wasn’t the typical action hero, he was always fighting the good fight. Master featured him as a college professor, but one who gave up drinking to fight a drug kingpin.
A fan club that became a party
The films created an image of a do-gooder for Vijay, a man willing to fight for the people, whatever the fight may be. And then, he used his fan clubs for the actual social work. In 2009, he organised all his fan clubs under one umbrella Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (Vijay’s People Movement). The organisation worked for social welfare for over a decade before transitioning into what is now known as Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in 2024. To a layman, it was a new political party. But by then, it was a movement with 15 years of experience in public work and a strong network of dedicated workers and loyal followers.
Vijay in a still from Master.
But winning an election is only battle half-won. Vijay’s true test begins now. MGR served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for 10 years, till his death in 1987. In that time, he transformed himself into Puratchi Thalaivar (Revolutionary Leader). He is still fondly remembered as arguably the best CM the state has had. Vijay has large boots to fill. The country’s political climate has certainly not made it easy. But if he is planning to tackle this just like how his characters do in his films, we are in for an entertaining tenure.
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