तमिलनाडु की राजनीति में फिल्म स्टार विजय ऐसे बने बड़ा चेहरा! रजनी-कमल जैसे आइकॉन हुए नाकाम – thalapathy vijay tamilnadu election result 2026 dmk aiadmk rajinikanth kamal haasan tmovk
When Joseph Vijay Chandrashekhar, aka Thalapathy Vijay of Tamil cinema fans, announced his retirement from acting in 2024, many people were shocked. But the results of Tamil Nadu elections 2026 are being watched with an eye on Vijay’s performance. Tamil Nadu has seen the biggest examples of personality cult of actors in politics. Two super popular actors like MGR and Jayalalitha have been Chief Ministers there. But that period has long passed.
After nearly 35 years, an actor is being expected to make the kind of strong political intervention that Tamil cinema has. Kamal Haasan And icons like Rajinikanth could not do it. Whatever victory Vijay gets in these elections, who started from zero two years ago, will be an achievement for him and his party. But the scale of this victory will determine the success of the bets that Vijay has played and faced to start this political journey.
What is Vijay’s politics? Tamil Nadu hope of?
The principles emanating from the Dravidian movement have made their place in the policies of Tamil Nadu governments. Social justice is part of policy making and Dravidian identity is safe. But there is a new uneasiness among today’s Tamil youth – post-Dravidian anxiety. Many big questions are looming – Dravidian politics is successful, but what next? How long should we keep choosing between two parties? Won the battle of identity, but where are the jobs? Why is there corruption in politics despite the absence of North Indian culture? When social justice is visible in policies then why is it not visible on the ground?
Vijay, who has been a star since the 1990s, became the face of fighting the system in his films. Vijay’s father SA Chandrashekhar’s film Rasigan (1994) had given him the title ‘Ilayathalapathy’. The meaning of this title was- Young Leader. In films like Thuppakki (2012), Thalaivaa (2013), Kaththi (2014) and Mersal (2017), Vijay’s heroes were seen clashing with corporate exploitation, farmers’ land, medical corruption and government machinery. This was not just a criticism of the system, it was also an attack on inherited power. Director Atlee had officially given the title of ‘Thalapathy’ i.e. leader to Vijay from his film Mersal.
The two big parties of Tamil Nadu, DMK and AIADMK, which emerged from the mass movement of Dravidian identity, have today become synonymous with political legacy. The command of DMK is in the hands of Karunanidhi family. AIADMK has those who show loyalty to MGR or Jayalalitha.
Here Vijay created a different position – he is not part of any political legacy. He does not do politics of Dravidian identity, religion or caste. His focus is governance, corruption and opportunities available to the youth. His message is clear – Dravidian principles and past struggles will be respected, but now let’s talk about the future. This makes him the face of post Dravid anxiety.
Rajinikanth-Political failure of Kamal Haasan
Tamil cinema’s two biggest superstars Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan also proved unsuccessful in becoming the face of Post Dravid Anxiety. When Rajinikanth talked about entering politics in 2017, his fan clubs came together and took the form of an organization – Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM). But Rajinikanth started talking about spirituality, nationalism etc. For people in Tamil Nadu, the word ‘nationalism’ reminds them of the BJP-Congress duo, which for them is the trademark of North Indian politics. Tamil Nadu’s experiences with both these parties have been tongue-burning. So ultimately Rajinikanth had to make a U-turn before the toll plaza of the Political Highway.
Kamal brought his party Makkal Needhi Mayyam (MNM) in 2018. He was full of ideas, but had no social anchor. Nor did he have any influence in grassroots politics. Both Kamal and Rajni were seen trying to capitalize on their superstar status in politics. Therefore he did not get any positive response from people. Finally Vijay became that face among the public who was seen standing firmly on the political ground along with film stardom.
Controversy of the last film
Vijay had announced before the Tamil Nadu elections that Jana Nayagan (Hindi title – Jan Neta) would be the last film of his acting career. Jana Nayagan, coming in January, was going to prepare a strong platform for Vijay’s political debut in the three months before the elections.
Any leader has to hold many rallies to convey his message, agenda and political roadmap to the people. A film star needs only one film to do his job – that is why cinema has been a very important medium in Tamil Nadu politics. The same film was to be made by Jan Nayagan Vijay.
The functioning of the Censor Board is under the control of the Central Government. Both the big national parties also keep looking for opportunities to make inroads in Tamil Nadu. Riding on the shoulders of victory in the fight between the two big parties of Tamil Nadu, the national parties may also be seeing an opportunity to fight – the public understands this. Therefore, Jan Naigan’s getting stuck at the Censor Board table was not just a cinematic issue. This will also be a big matter in Tamil Nadu elections 2026.
Why is everyone’s eyes fixed on Vijay’s victory?
Not only the public reached the voting booth in Tamil Nadu, people from other states who have seen Vijay in films are also keeping an eye on his political journey. Whether anyone has understood Vijay’s politics and his ideology or not, he has succeeded in developing a perception – he is serious about his political mission.
This seriousness was seen missing in the political ambitions of Tamil stars like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. It is this seriousness that made Pawan Kalyan the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh two years ago. Pawan has shown that if there is seriousness then the public has no hesitation in making film star faces a political option. Whether or not anyone expects Vijay to become the Chief Minister this time only, his performance this time will decide his candidature for the next time. Therefore, Vijay is the biggest face of Tamil Nadu elections 2026, whose political report card everyone is waiting for.
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