COMMENT | Actor Thalapathy Vijay's entrance into Tamil Nadu politics

COMMENT | The entry of Tamil cinema actors into politics is hardly new. Legendary movie icons like the late MG Ramachandran (MGR) and Jayalalithaa set the precedent decades ago.

However, movie stardom does not guarantee political success, as the experiences of Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth have shown. Both attempted to make political inroads but ultimately withdrew.

Rajinikanth, in particular, hesitated to formally establish a political party, despite considerable anticipation from his fans.

Actor Vijay, however, seems to be approaching politics differently.

At the height of his film career, he established the Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), making his political intentions clear.

On Oct 27, 2024, Vijay, whose real name is Joseph, announced that TVK would contest the...