(^64) THE WEEK NOVEMBER 12, 2017
T
amil Nadu expected that
‘Superstar’ Rajinikanth
or ‘Ulaganayagan’ Kamal
Haasan would become the
next actors to enter politics in the
state. But, Vijay—or Joseph Vijay, as
the state unit of the BJP called him—
might jump the queue.
True, while Rajinikanth said that
the “system is ruined” and Kamal
decried the current state of affairs,
Vijay has neither criticised poli-
ticians nor declared his political
ambitions. But, there is a hint in
the words of Vijay’s father, director
and producer S.A. Chandrasekaran.
“One does not have to be in politics
to serve the nation,” he told THE
WEEK. “I want my son to be a lead-
er. A leader need not be in power
to work for the people.” Joseph
Vijay Chandrasekaran, 43, aka Ilaya
Thalapathy (junior commander), is
the son of Chandrasekaran and classi-
cal vocalist Shobha Chandrasekaran.
The actor is married to Sangeetha
Sornalingam, a Sri Lankan Tamil.
Fans say that there is no standout
element in a Vijay movie, but that he
has stuck to a formula that works best
for him. Unlike his contemporary
actors Surya or Ajith, Vijay neither
experiments with roles that demand
extraordinary acting skills, nor domi-
nates with physical prowess. But, he
has made a smooth transition from
the romantic roles of the 1990s to
scripts heavy with social messages.
He can dance like a dream, fight the
baddies and deliver politically loaded
dialogues with a punch. In most of
his movies, he plays a middle-class
boy who treats women with respect.
And, most movies have punchy,
one-word names: Gilli (Risk-taker,
2004), Kaththi (Knife, 2014), Pokkiri
(Rogue, 2007), Sura (Shark, 2010)
and Thuppakki (Gun, 2012). And, in
most of them, he played the title role.
Critics say the shift in Vijay mov-
ies came with Kaavalan (Bodyguard,
2011). In Theri (Spark, 2016) he played
a police officer who was tortured for
investigating a gang rape case. “He is
a youth icon,” said Chandrasekaran.“He has crores and crores of fans.
His films have a message: Thullatha
Manamum Thullum (1999) was about
organ donation, Thuppakki was
against terrorism, Kaththi was pro-
farmer, and Mersal (Stunned, 2017)
is against corrupt doctors. What is
wrong in this?”
Interestingly, in the 1980s and
1990s Chandrasekaran delivered
powerful movies like Sattam oru
Iruttarai (The Law is a Dungeon,
1981), which catapulted actor
Vijayakanth into stardom, and
Neethikku Dhandanai (Punishment
for Law, 1987), based on a story writ-
ten by M. Karunanidhi. Vijayakanth
founded the Desiya Murpokku
Dravida Kazhagam and became
opposition leader of the Tamil Nadu
Assembly, while Karunanidhi was a
five-time chief minister of the state.
Film industry watchers say Vijay’s
political ambition became clear as ear-
ly as July 26, 2009, when he pitched
his fans’ association, Thalapathy
Makkal Iyakkam, as a social welfare
organisation. On screen, too, he built
up his image as a saviour and leader.
Ravi Raja, one of the organisers
of Thalapathy Makkal Iyakkam,
called Vijay a social reformer. “He
always wants to do things without
any noise,” Raja said. “Our fan club
conducts more activities than any
other fan club in the state. We just
work quietly.” Raja said the club did
everything from de-silting lakes, to
funding marriages for the poor and
helping underprivileged youth get a
college education.
In 2011, Vijay flew to Delhi at the
peak of the India Against Corruption
movement and shared the dais with
Anna Hazare. He had met Congress
vice president Rahul Gandhi in 2009
and Prime Minister Narendra Modi
in Coimbatore in 2014. This year,
during the jallikattu protests, Vijay
turned up at Marina Beach to express
his support. Photos of him at the
protest site went viral. And, when S.
Anitha of Ariyalur committed suicide
protesting the National Eligibility
cum Entrance Test, Vijay met herparents and offered his condolences.
The fan club had reportedly
pledged its support to AIADMK
leader J. Jayalalithaa in the 2011 elec-
tions, saying it was time for change.
Chandrasekaran visited Jayalalithaa
and extended support. But, Vijay
did not campaign publicly for the
AIADMK. But, film industry watch-Shot transition: (Above) Vijay with
Anna Hazare, during the India Against
Corruption movement; (right) with
Samantha in MersalPTI