Actor-turned-politician Vijay’s inaugural showing in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election has come as a revelation to many, with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) surfacing as the single-largest party on result day (May 4).

The party secured 108 seats, having contested all 234 constituencies independently, and its outcome is being viewed as a turning point for state politics. More than any other element, the singular brand identity of Vijay, 51, one of the most commercially successful stars of Tamil cinema for years, appears to have driven the TVK ahead. As Vijay once stated on the campaign trail, “In all 234 constituencies, Vijay is the nominee.”

Vijay’s entry into politics has proven successful at least by the metric of electability, though it encountered several hurdles. Roughly six years ago, when his parents tried to initiate his political career, he took them to court. It was in 2024 that he officially introduced the TVK.

The force of fandom

Vijay made his screen debut as a child actor in 1984, with Vetri directed by his father, director-producer S. A. Chandrasekhar.

His career as an adult witnessed limited success initially — until the release of his father’s film Senthoorapandi, which also featured the established actor Vijayakanth. It placed Vijay on a trajectory of romantic and family-oriented films, followed eventually by action and mass entertainers, steadily earning him the title of “Thalapathy” (commander).

Even within the tradition of South Indian cinema, where the Tamil and Telugu industries have produced several larger-than-life heroes inspiring intense devotion from admirers, Vijay’s fan following has remained among the most committed.

For decades, fan clubs of actors have been loosely connected with the stars, maintaining offices in smaller towns and villages. They have organised social welfare initiatives in their name, such as blood donation drives. In Vijay’s case, supporters conducted these programmes under the banner of the All India Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkham. His eventual political party therefore possessed something resembling a cadre-based structure from the outset.

It would not have been uncommon for Vijay to swiftly transform this support base into a political advantage, as many did before him in the state, but he had reservations.

Amid speculation of party formation, a film industry source told The Indian Express in 2023, “His father initiated his political plans in 2009 when the fan group was established. Vijay has consistently been hesitant and uncertain about his political future. In 2021, he told us privately that he might not consider politics until a major political vacuum emerged in the state. However, his present move (of beginning groundwork) may be to accelerate his plans, indicating a decision to enter state politics currently dominated by (Chief Minister) M. K. Stalin and (AIADMK leader) Edappadi K. Palaniswami.”

The father angle

Despite his screen image as a man of the people, Vijay’s public persona has been that of a reserved and private actor. Partly because of that limited public interaction, his father has been among the most visible faces behind Vijay’s political launch.

At later phases of his career, when Vijay’s films came under scrutiny from certain political parties for their overt political references and criticisms, he frequently chose to stay silent, while his father publicly responded to them.

In 2020, Chandrasekhar attempted to register an organisation called the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (VMI) as a political entity, apparently without Vijay’s approval. Chandrasekhar was named its general secretary and his wife and Vijay’s mother, the singer Shobha Chandrasekhar, was its treasurer.

He emphasised the necessity of a political party, arguing that he started fan clubs for Vijay during the actor’s early years and had not sought permission then either. He also said that the party was his own initiative and had no connection with Vijay. Shobha later stated only Vijay would decide on his political entry, and that she was unaware of Chandrasekhar’s exact plans when she agreed to join the organisation.

In September 2021, Vijay publicly distanced himself from the VMI and even filed a lawsuit against 11 individuals, including his parents. The VMI was later dissolved.

About a year later, Vijay made an indirect political entry, when members of his fan organisation contested the rural local body polls and won 115 of the 169 seats.

The decision to transition

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), one of the two principal parties of the state, was viewed as a shadow of its former self after J. Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016. Despite its formidable organisation, the internal conflicts among party leaders weakened its political standing. Vijay also chose to criticise the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for alleged corruption, and the BJP for its ideology. He also enjoyed substantial support among the youth and women, which are identities capable of cutting across regional and caste divisions.

That being said, there was little before the results to suggest the scale of the victory that the TVK achieved, amid questions regarding its lack of ideological clarity and experience. Whatever the precise reasons may have been for Vijay adhering to a specific timeline for his political launch, they have worked to his advantage.