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Neil Nitin Mukesh: 'What Vijay Has Achieved Politically Is Remarkable'

May 04, 2026 16:59 IST

'What stood for me was how grounded he was despite his massive stardom.'

Neil Nitin Mukesh with AR Murugadoss and Thalapathy Vijay

IMAGE: Neil Nitin Mukesh with Director A R Murugadoss and Thalapathy Vijay. Photograph: Kind courtesy Neil Nitin Mukesh/X

Key Points

Neil Nitin Mukesh describes working with Vijay on Kaththi as an amazing experience, highlighting Vijay's discipline, focus and grounded nature despite his stardom.
Neil praises Vijay's respectful behaviour towards everyone on set and his commitment to his audience.
He considers Vijay's political achievement remarkable, acknowledging the difficulty of transitioning from cinema to large-scale public service.

"Working with Vijay sir on Kaththi was an amazing experience. He's extremely disciplined and focused on sets," Neil Nitin Mukesh says about his Kaththi co-star, who is having a good day at the electoral turnstiles.

"What stood for me was how grounded he was despite his massive stardom," adds Neil. "On set, he's respectful to everyone and very committed to giving the audience what they love."

Kaththi was directed by A R Murugadoss, and emerged a big hit in 2014.

Vijay's Political Journey

"What Vijay sir has achieved politically is remarkable. It's not easy to transition from cinema into public service at that scale," notes Neil.

"This kind of mandate shows the kind of connection he has built with people over the years. I wish him the very best because ultimately, leadership is about responsibility. I'm sure he understands the expectations that come with it."

Photograph curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff

SUBHASH K JHA