Vijay's shift into politics was not sudden as he had been doing groundwork since 2009, when he launched his fan club, the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam.
Key Points
- Vijay's 'whistle revolution' campaign galvanised voters, turning a symbolic appeal into a decisive electoral surge across Tamil Nadu.
- The TVK's 2026 victory dismantles decades-long dominance of the DMK and AIADMK, reshaping the state's entrenched Dravidian political structure.
- Comparisons drawn with MGR and NTR highlight rapid rise of actor-led parties transforming fan bases into political capital.
While campaigning for his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) ahead of the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, actor-turned-politician Vijay, 51, had called the undercurrents in the state a 'whistle revolution', urging people to back TVK's symbol, the whistle.
Launched in 2024, the TVK has emerged as the single-largest party in the 2026 elections, routing the two Dravidian majors -- the incumbent Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) -- and ending the duopoly that has existed in the state since 1977.
With the TVK all set to conquer Fort St George, parallels are being drawn between AIADMK founder and actor M G Ramachandran (MGR) and Vijay.
MGR too had swept the 1977 assembly polls by transforming fan devotion into an institutional political machine, and in that instance too, a fledgling political outfit was up against an incumbent DMK.
After launching the AIADMK on October 17, 1972, the charismatic leader went on to rule the state for a decade from then till his death in 1987.
Another parallel is being drawn to legendary Telugu actor-turned-politician N T Rama Rao (NTR), who came to power in the 1983 Andhra Pradesh elections, hardly nine months after founding the Telugu Desam Party in March 1982.
"His victory can be compared to that of MGR. Both MGR and Vijay faced the same criticism of running a party of film fans. The only difference is that MGR had substantial time to build his party from 1972 to 1977, and had also contested in elections before," said Tamil writer and activist Maalan Narayanan.
Vijay's success comes when movie legends like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan failed to make an impact in politics.
The list of Tamil film stars who tested political waters also includes veterans like S S Rajendran, Sivaji Ganesan, J Jayalalithaa and 'Captain' Vijayakanth.
While Jayalalithaa became a political icon, the only other actor-politician to make an impact was Vijayakanth, who founded the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and became leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu assembly.
Fans club to Fort St George
Vijay's shift into politics was not sudden as he had been doing groundwork since 2009, when he launched his fan club, the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (VMI).
In the 2011 assembly polls, he supported the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK.
He made a larger statement by meeting social activist Kisan Baburao 'Anna' Hazare during his fast for a Jan Lokpal Bill at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan.
Movies starring him, like Mersal (2017) and Thalaivaa (2013), also had political messaging.
It was with Mersal that Vijay changed his title from 'Ilayathalapathy' ('Young Commander') to 'Thalapathy' ('Commander').
He tasted success in the 2021 local body polls, when the VMI won 68 per cent of the seats it contested.
'The work behind this is nothing but our leader. People had trust in him. The trend was expected by us. We had been saying from Day 1 that TVK will form the government,' TVK Spokesperson Felix Gerald told the media.
Another political analyst said that MGR had intelligently crafted alliances with Left parties, and Vijay should also form such partnerships while ensuring that there is no conflict with the Centre.
Like MGR, Vijay has delivered a blockbuster even on the political stage.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
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