Tamil Superstar Vijay’s Political Act Still Looks Like An Unimpressive Cameo Role

Tamil actor Vijay announced the formation of his party (Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam) in February and has claimed that the film after his upcoming release in September The Greatest of All Time (GOAT) will be the last one after which he will focus entirely on politics and contest in the 2026 assembly elections in the state.

Six months after that his official Twitter (now X) handle still reads: @actorvijay. 

In the period since the party was floated, his personal handle hasn't put out political tweets (save for one on party membership drive).  Even via the party's official handle, his opinions on many of the political issues of the state have been far and few between.

Among the many significant events that have buffeted the state this year, he has opened his mouth (via X) only on Kallakurichi illegal arrack deaths and the BSP leader Armstrong's frontal murder in Chennai. And even here, his words were anodyne and hardly seemed to be that of a person who is, at least on paper, trying to mount a challenge against the established political order in the state.

What are Vijay's views on the possible elevation of Udhayanidhi Stalin as the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu? 

Is he okay with the repeated misuse of police force and arrests to silence people like Savukku Shankar who have been vocal in their criticism of the state government?

Does he have an opinion on the sub-categorisation and reservation primacy within the scheduled castes and tribes?

Heck, there is a crisis in the Tamil film industry with the film producers calling for a halt in shooting from November. Has Vijay spoken on that?

The Hema Committee report (on the plight of women in the film industry) is out in neighbouring Kerala. Will someone like Vijay lead a movement of sorts to set up such a panel in Tamil Nadu?

Answers to all of the above is: We don't know.

And that, sirs, is the problem.

A Reluctant Politico Or Recluse Star? 

Vijay has continued to remain a reclusive film star and hardly shown that he is making the transition to the politician that he wants to become. He is making exactly the same mistake that another of the recent political wannabe from filmdom did.

Of course, he also vauntedly made a claim that he was giving up acting and would focus solely on politics. But in time, when Vikram became a money-spinner in a way unimagined, the actor known for multiple roles typically changed tack.

He started talking about how his film career was helping him to finance his political role. It all looked specious and dubious. But that is how he has been rolling on. But as the sensational drubbing that his last release Indian 2 received, proved he cannot take his place as a film star for granted. One look at Indian 2 showed that Haasan was clearly disinterested.

The real problem is Kamal as a politico too seems disinterested and distracted. And alas, Vijay too seems to be following suit. Or in any case, he seems more committed to his acting career than to his political claims.

Flag And Anthem Launched. But Why Now?

Today, the actor formally launched his party's flag and its nominal anthem.He made typical political noises that were filled with banalities. The flag itself, in Spanish red and yellow colours, has two elephants with raised front legs around what was revealed as Vaagai flower, which symbolises victory. 

"We will always appreciate the fighters who fought and sacrificed their life for the liberation of our country and countless soldiers who fought tirelessly for the rights of our people from Tamil soil...I will remove the differences in the name of caste, religion, gender, place of birth, create awareness among the people and strive for equal opportunities and equal rights for all. I solemnly affirm that I will uphold the principle of equality for all living beings," reads his party pledge.

Does it say anything interesting or important? Absolutely no. It is vague and vacuous. The party's main conference is apparently set for the latter half of September. So what was the real hurry for the release of the flag and anthem? 

To be uncharitable, the function seemed to be a carefully orchestrated event ahead of his important film release. If anything, the function was filled more with film event vibes than a political occasion. The real truth is the flag and anthem event has created the right buzz ahead of the film's release on which several hundreds of crores is riding. His fans are actually more keen on who are playing cameos in GOAT and hardly seem interested in what are his gambits in the political field.

This is not to say that Vijay cannot be a successful politician. But the fact is he has made less than an impressive start. He needs to be more forthcoming to be counted as a politico.

It is a fact that Tamil Nadu has been kind to actors taking to politics. But the actual detail lies in the fact that the real successful ones are those who gave up films for all practical purposes. M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa are prime examples.

Even Vijayakanth, in the period he was an active politico, had turned his back on films. Those who failed, Sivaji Ganesan and Haasan included, tried to be clever by half.  People usually see through that.

That is the real lesson for Vijay. If he learns that, he actually stands a chance to be known as the GOAT. Else, he has to remain content with seeing only his film being called so.