Vijay’s Political Plunge: What's Tamil For 'Déjà Vu'?

As night follows the day, there is a certain inevitability to Tamil star Vijay announcing his political plunge.

The talk had been in the air for the last couple of years. It was just a question of 'when', and not, 'will he'. And in a land festered with kazhagams, one more has been announced, in a relatively low-key manner.

There was no crowded press conference or grand speech from the pulpit with supporters shouting themselves hoarse. The announcement for Vijay's political launch arrived, unemotionally, like an official letter, on the timeline of Twitter (okay, X).

The name of the party itself is nothing surprising. It is christened Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK). That vetri in Tamil means victory, which of course is also a synonym for 'Vijay'. Is it narcissism at play or just some sub-editor level easy pun attempt is something open to debate.

But what is worthy of discussion is: why now? Ahead of the general elections slated for announcement soon. Vijay, of course, has said that his putative party will stay out of the Lok Sabha elections and aim for the State one in 2026. 

While reading Vijay's announcement the feeling of deja vu was inescapable.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Kamal Haasan when he launched his Maiam, which has proved to be a damp squib. "You all are well aware of the political situation of Tamil Nadu. On one side, we have a dysfunctional administration and corrupt political culture, and on the other, we have divisive politics that aims to divide people along the lines of caste, creed, and religion," he said.

Sigh, it was not just Kamal. Rajnikanth also hoved into view, as Vijay continued: "It is an incontestable truth that people, more so in Tamil Nadu, are longing for a change in a political scenario and want a selfless, honest, secular and talented party to bring about a change."

He added: "It is my long-term intention and desire to help the people of Tamil Nadu and the Tamil community, who gave me name, fame, and everything after my parents, as much as I can."

MGR. Sivaji. Vijayakanth. Sarath Kumar. Down to Vishal, all have uttered lines with similar sentiments. So neither the party nor the avowed idea behind it is anything new.

Obsession with film stars is at the core of the State’s politics

It is not our intention to ridicule Vijay's political plunge. Nor our prognosis is that his party, much like Kamal's or Rajni's un-started venture, would come a cropper. These are far too soon for that. But the point is the launch has no real fizz, and the mission statement reads banal. It is almost as if Chat GPT wrote it after reading what other Tamil actors said when they came out with their political plans.

But it should be a fascinating psychological and sociological study to understand why film stars from Tamil Nadu have a bigger proclivity for politics than some others from other States. To be sure, the craze for films exists in many places. Andhra and Telangana are no less passionate about their stars. But TN leads this race with the Telugu-speaking neighbours not too far behind.

But in Tamil Nadu, cinema and politics have an umbilical connection.

It goes back to the time of India's independence when Annadurai and his protege Karunanidhi understood the power of movies to drive home their message and used them as the launchpad for their political party (hived off from EV Ramasamy's DK).

MGR followed it with even more conspicuous success as his movies became his propaganda platform. Many scholars have described Tamils' fixation with films and their stars as a 'genetic obsession.' Their mania seems to trigger messianic ideas in the minds of the top stars of the day. Even though every star is different, and his or her internal compulsion and motivations varied, the public frenzy can be a big opiate.

What can Vijay offer? 

But enough of pop psychology. Politically, if at all, it gets to that, what can Vijay bring to the table? Ideologically, it can't be all that different from the Kazhagams. That is, of course, a given.

The thing is, with Vijayakanth you knew that the man had a certain leadership ability and an innate warmth that could instantly strike a chord with the people, especially the underdogs. With Rajnikanth, there was an inkling of right-of-centre sensibility, which is a rarity in Tamil Nadu politics. With Kamal, there was at least an off-putting cerebral veneer and intellectual approach. 

Most actors try to use their predominant screen image to bolster their political career. MGR, NTR, Vijaykanth all did. Even Rajni tried to do it. Kamal had one single defining screen image that he could fall back on his ill-fated and uninspiring political run.   

Vijay's films have been rousing. His movies have been monster hits. But the personality that he throws up at public functions is mostly an antithesis of it. He is almost seen as reticent and introverted. That baggage has to be shed.

For an actor, changing roles should not be a problem. But it should be organic. Or else it would be seen as pretentious. His recent movies have had messages and political dialogues. But do they add up to the image that he may now want to convey. So the road ahead of him is doubtless long.

Who can Vijay’s politics impact?

But what kind of impact will it have in the existing scheme of things?

Any new party announced has to be, by definition, against the incumbent ruling party. So, in this case it has to be the DMK. Simple political logic suggests that at least for starters the anti-DMK votes are in for a split. In which case, it can be said that his announcement now can (at least notionally) help the DMK and work against the BJP and the AIADMK who are already scrapping for the anti-DMK votes.

The biggest trick that the DMK and its ecosystem pulled during the 2021 state elections was in convincing people that the Kamal and Seeman's respective parties were BJP's trojan horses. Actually, they ended up splitting the anti-DMK votes. 

Of course, there is also nothing concrete so far to establish that Vijay and Udhayanidhi are in cahoots behind the scenes. But Vijay's words in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls will make it clear regarding what is actually transpiring, especially far away from the prying eyes.

It is difficult to play up Vijay politically as yet. But if indeed he emerges as a force in his own right, it is BJP's Annamalai and DMK's Udhayanidhi who have to watch out. But, as said, these are early days.  To match the clichés of his political announcement, we can also say: we need to wait and watch.

Anyway, going by his statement, Vijay is calling a halt to his film career. His last film, titled GOAT under the direction of Venkat Prabhu, is claimed to be his last. 

Aside from everything, a popular star announcing his retirement is sure to leave a lump in the throat of his die-hard fans. More so, it is his film number: 69.