Tamil Superstar Vijay's Political Future Uncertain After Election Debut

On the face of it, Tamil superstar Vijay is equidistant from both the principal political parties in his state. The actor, who contested his first assembly election last month along with his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), has said he is politically opposed to DMK, and ideologically opposed to BJP, an alliance partner of AIADMK. Yet, it's hard to predict the direction he will take when results are announced tomorrow.

When union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Ramdas Athawale told the press last month that BJP 'will take support from Vijay' after the verdict is out, DMK held this up as proof that Vijay is BJP's 'B team'. This accusation is not new, and stems considerably from the logical assumption that the actor's positioning as a secular politician will eat into the DMK-Congress combine's vote share. If he does join hands with AIADMK-BJP, it will not be out of a natural affinity, but because DMK won't give him the CM's chair he openly aspires to occupy.

Vijay, a Christian, has been targeted by BJP and its affiliates for years now over his minority religious identity. This communal profiling persists, although it led to humiliation for the party in 2017 when it attacked the Vijay-starrer Mersal for its perceived criticism of Hindutva, and for questioning GoI policies. While protesting against the movie, BJP insistently referred to the leading man by his full name, C Joseph Vijay, in a transparent bid to draw attention to his religion. The move backfired, since the party's apparent belief that it was exposing Vijay exposed their own ignorance about the state and its secular ethos. Tamil Nadu, it turned out, was not only aware that Vijay is Christian, but it also didn't care. The Tamil public and celebrities vociferously supported Mersal. When the film went on to become a blockbuster, a triumphant Vijay took a defiant stand, by publishing a note expressing gratitude to the people, printed on a letterhead with his complete name and 'Jesus Saves' emblazoned across the top.

Most recently, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) ruined Vijay's plans for a grand last bow on screen before his first bow in electoral politics. In December 2025, he had announced his retirement from cinema, with Jana Nayagan (People's Hero)--scheduled for a January 2026 release--set to be his final screen appearance. CBFC stalled the film though. Jana Nayagan will now reportedly hit theatres in May. It's a sign of political naivete if Vijay did not anticipate such a delay from a body that comes under the central government headed by the party with which he has had so much friction over time.

Naivete was clearly at play when Vijay demanded a CBI probe into a fatal stampede at one of his rallies last year. It's astonishing that, in effect, he volunteered to be at the mercy of an agency that too reports to GoI. He got that CBI probe. And with it, multiple CBI summons for interrogations in Delhi.

The stampede and the Jana Nayagan fiasco are among a series of damaging developments in Vijay's life, including his personal life, in recent months. These setbacks may have made him more nervous than he lets on. Media reports this week indicate that he will do another film with Jana Nayagan's producers to compensate for losses incurred due to its delayed release and reported online leak. It's a genius step. Because it keeps his options open in case of unfavourable election results. But if he gets to play kingmaker, or even king, in the next Tamil Nadu government, the decision to do this film becomes evidence of his extreme generosity. If he opts out of it, no harm is done, since there's been no official announcement anyway. This whisper in the press may prove to be Vijay's best act yet.