Actor Vijay's political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), has firmly stated that it will not form an alliance with the BJP, despite what it describes as increasing pressure from the saffron party.
V K Sasikala, a close aide of the late J Jayalalithaa, has announced the launch of a new political party in Tamil Nadu, potentially leading to a four-way contest in the upcoming state Assembly elections.
Drama, dazzle, detectives, dhamaal, it's there on OTT this week. Take your pick from Sukanya Verma's eclectic menu.
We continue to celebrate the Thalaiva's 75th birthday with Divya Nair's premiere playlist that celebrates his magnetic swag, emotion and larger-than-life persona.
Expelled All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader and nine-time MLA, KA Sengottaiyan joined Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) along with his supporters on Thursday, a day after he resigned as the Gobichettipalayam MLA.
As the year draws to a close, Rediff's Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya takes a look at the hits and misses, the highs and lows, the newsmakers and the dealbreakers in alphabetical order.
Actor-politician Vijay held his first public meeting in Puducherry, criticising the central government for neglecting the union territory's demand for statehood and praising the local government's impartiality. He also targeted the DMK government in Tamil Nadu, suggesting they could learn from Puducherry.
Rajinikanth may have made his last Hindi film two decades ago but he can still set the screen alight, blazing away with a gun that has dozens of barrels. As Thalaiva turns 75 on December 12, Dinesh Raheja looks back at his 17 year journey in Hindi cinema.
Actor Vijay, founder of the Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party, has declared that his party will challenge the ruling DMK in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. In a general council meeting, Vijay criticized the DMK's dynasty politics, their handling of law and order, and women's safety. He also targeted the BJP-led central government over issues like the Waqf Bill, delimitation, and the three-language policy. Vijay promised his party's support to working classes, government employees, and vowed to oppose projects harmful to natural resources and agriculture. He assured 100% safety for women and strict law and order if TVK forms the government. The party passed resolutions opposing the Waqf Bill, delimitation, and the three-language policy, and also voiced support for the two-language policy, finding a permanent solution for fishermen's issues, and opposing the Parandur airport project.
Pant's attempt to emulate the legendary superstar's cool and confident style brought back memories of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's similar pose from 2016.
Stalin gets a new title...
India's biggest superstars are now working together.
One of the most charismatic figures of Tamil Nadu politics and the most enduring mascot of the Dravidian movement breathed his last at 6.10 pm.
The last time the duo collaborated was on the action blockbuster Dalapathi in 1991.
The daily said the DMK president, in his address at the 'Mupperum Vizha' on June 15 in Coimbatore, "stood tall by dedicating the victory to the DMK cadres, workers of parties of the INDIA bloc and all the leaders" of the alliance parties.
Reacting to the criticism, the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam said the government could not initially allot space at the Marina beach for burying the DMK leader due to pending cases against construction of memorials on the famous sands.
As Rajinikanth turned 73 on December 12, fans gathered outside his residence in Chennai to celebrate his birthday.
Dhanush deserves credit for imagining a visually rich, edgy action thriller which is enhanced by a fascinating background score from A R Rahman, observes Divya Nair.
Prime Video will stream the recent blockbuster from September 7.
Amitabh Bachchan's birthday is no less than a festival.
'There is no comparison. We are just trying to copy a great pose by a great man, nothing beyond that!'
Sanju Samson had his fan boy moment when he met Rajinikanth -- the one and only Thailavaa -- at his residence in Chennai.
A statue of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MG Ramachandran was on Tuesday found damaged in Thanjavur, with the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagam strongly condemning the incident and calling for action against the "anti-social elements" behind the vandalism.
Fourteen years after the Sri Lankan government announced his death, a veteran Tamil nationalist leader claimed in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, on Monday that Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of Eelam Tamils in Sri Lanka, is doing well and said a conducive atmosphere prevails for him to appear now.
Will Vijay will go the most successful MGR/Jayalalithaa way, or that of Vijayakanth, Seeman or Kamalahaasan, or will he end up as another Rajinikanth who cries wolf at the last minute and quits the scene even before it all had really begun, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
Ramachandran, an OPS loyalist who took part in the meeting, said the former chief minister would soon meet VK Sasikala, the confidante of former party supremo J Jayalalithaa.
I don't remember Rajinikanth beheading anyone so brutally in any of his previous films. Or glamourising so much of blood and violence. This is an altogether different version of a brutal Ra1jinikanth, something you and I had probably never imagined before, observes Divya Nair.
'Onscreen the most stylish and offscreen the most humble person I know, with qualities I always admire and aspire for. May you keep inspiring generations to come.'
At the Leo fete, Vijay had this also to tell his fans: 'I know you all are in my heart. But today, I also know that I am also in the hearts of all of you...' A typical politician's line, did you say, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
Tamil Nadu's obsession for honorifics appears to be a never-ending story. The latest is the "Ezhuchi Nayagan" (rising leader) title for All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's new interim general secretary K Palaniswami, proposed by the party's presidium chairman Tamil Magan Hussain in Chennai on Monday.
Deepika looks awesomelycute... Aishwarya captures a Kodak moment...Sunny goes green...
'Top actors came to me while Kabali was being shot, to ask me to cast them in at least one scene with Thalaivar -- even if it required them to clean a table on the side while Thalaivar is in the shot.' Kabali producer Kalaipuli S Thanu tries to explain the Rajinikanth phenomenon.
There is action, drama, emotion, comedy -- everything in equal measure and lots of stylish sequences featuring Rajinikanth. Clearly, Darbar is a visual treat for fans, says Divya Nair.
'The one who worked with no rest, rests here'
Stalin said one cannot and should not decide the mood of the entire country based on the results of one state elections.
'Petta response is so overwhelming and awesome.. Thank you Thalaivar fans!'
Rajinikanth's visible electoral strength is his constant mouthing of the term, 'aanmiga arasiyal', or 'spiritual politics', without he having to explain what it is. By implication, it is all that what Dravidian politics is not about. It may imply anti-corruption, being against Periyar's forgotten anti-god, anti-Brahmin dictum, but also ends up covering 'Tamil pride', which begins with Tamil language where, as a Maratha from Karnataka, he has more to defend himself. However, in the contemporary national context, aanmiga arasiyal is seen as a front for Rajini to market his brand of 'soft Hindutva' but identified even more with the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in political terms, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
As Rajinikanth turns 69 on December 12, his family and friends took to social media to wish him. They posted pictures of the superstar and wrote touching notes.
Megastar Rajinikanth turns 70 on December 12.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances