Will Vijay Thalapathy’s political party be a blockbuster, or will it collapse at ballot box

Tamil cinema superstar Vijay Thalapathy is shaking up Tamil Nadu politics within just 18 months of launching his political party ‘Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam’ (TVK). The name means ‘Victory of the Tamil People’; but the question is—will he stop at creating a stir, or will he truly change the rules of the game? Let us try to understand that today.

Thalapathy Vijay (Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar) is a superstar actor and singer in Tamil cinema who began his career in the 1990s and went on to become one of South India’s most popular stars. While his rise in the early days was gradual, today he is among the highest-paid actors in India. His fan following is massive, having appeared seven times in Forbes India’s Celebrity 100 list.

On social media too, his following is enormous. For instance, in just eight months he gained 10 million followers on Instagram, a record among Kollywood actors. Such craze for South Indian film heroes is not new—there are even traditions of worshipping them. But does this popularity always translate into success in politics? How far can regional parties succeed against national parties like Congress or BJP? That is the calculation now being made. Tamil Nadu politics has seen two major turning points before. In the 1967 election, Annadurai’s DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) defeated Congress. That was the first time a regional party replaced the Delhi-backed Congress in power. The second came in 1977, when MG Ramachandran (MGR) came to power with his own party AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam).

C. N. Annadurai, M. G. Ramachandran and Vijay Thalapathy

From then on, Tamil Nadu politics was divided into two camps—DMK versus AIADMK. That rivalry has defined politics for decades. Now another superstar from cinema, Thalapathy Vijay, dreams of triggering a similar revolution. The scene at his party conference in Madurai was outstanding—on stage, cut-outs of Annadurai and MGR, alongside a giant cut-out of Vijay, under the caption: “History Returns.” Vijay declared on stage: “Our only ideological enemy is BJP. Our only political enemy is DMK. By having direct or indirect ties with this fascist BJP, do we want to become the world’s most corrupt party?” Superstar Vijay has announced that he would contest the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election from Madurai East.

His party, Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), has made it clear it will never ally with either DMK or BJP. At the party conference, Vijay said: “TVK does not make secret deals, we fear no one. A lion is always a lion—unique even in a crowd, and fearsome even alone. Hunting is its goal, not entertainment.” In a 35-minute speech he blasted the DMK government for corruption, nepotism and anti-people policies, directly attacking Chief Minister MK Stalin. At the same time, he criticised the BJP’s divisive politics: “This is a secular land; BJP’s divisive agenda will never work here.” He strongly raised issues such as fishermen’s problems, the NEET exam, and reclaiming the Katchatheevu island. The biggest announcement was that TVK will field candidates in all 234 constituencies in the 2026 election, with Vijay himself as chief ministerial candidate.

His state tour begins in September, and TVK has set a target of recruiting 20 million new members by December. Vijay hopes 2026 will be historic for him too. But the question remains—Is Vijay truly building a political movement, or is it all a grand show like a film? Some say his speeches sound like film dialogues. The curious part is — it is working wonders with his fans. Though his party has not yet contested any election, his popularity is spreading like wildfire beyond fan clubs, attracting especially young people and women. Wherever he goes, crowds gather like magnets.

Thalapathy Vijay at the second state conference of ATVK in Madurai on August 21

Last year his first state conference at Vikravandi drew a massive crowd. The second, in Madurai, was held on a 250-acre ground. Clearly, Vijay is a crowd-pulling leader. But crowds alone do not decide votes. Yet major parties are worried about him. AIADMK wants to pull him to their side. BJP thinks that if Vijay contests alone, it will cut into DMK’s vote share, which would benefit them. That is why critics have started branding TVK as BJP’s “C Team.” Vijay therefore used the Madurai conference to make it clear that defeating BJP is his ultimate goal. Meanwhile, hardline Tamil nationalist leader Seeman once sought an alliance with him too. In short, everyone has their own calculations about Vijay—but what is Vijay himself thinking?

It must be remembered that Vijay Thalapathy chose to enter politics at a time when South Indian cinema is at its brightest. Tamil cinema has begun to rival Hindi cinema at the box office. Production budgets have crossed ₹1,000 crore, and leading actors’ fees have gone beyond ₹200 crore. Vijay himself received ₹275 crore for his 69th film The Greatest of All Time (GOAT). The film is due for release in January next year, and the media is abuzz that it will be his last—since afterwards he will focus only on politics. He has signed no other film. This shows he has not stepped into politics thoughtlessly; he has done so at the peak of his career and in the golden age of South Indian cinema.

It is easy to see that Vijay has a strategy—he is moving cautiously. He is playing by Tamil Nadu politics’ familiar themes: state rights, federalism, and opposition to Hindutva. He has declared DMK as his “political opponent” and BJP as his “ideological enemy.” In short, he wants to revive a Dravidian politics free from corruption and dynastic rule. The Dravidian Movement arose in the early 20th century against Brahmin dominance and northern hegemony, emphasising Tamil identity, language and culture, state rights over the centre (federalism), opposition to caste and Brahminism, rejection of Hindutva, and stressing equality, social justice and education. In Tamil Nadu, both DMK and AIADMK are heirs to this Dravidian politics.

Thalapathy Vijay's next movie Jana Naya song and a scene from the movie Thalapathy Vijay

So far, no major political party has shown interest in allying with Vijay Thalapathy’s new party TVK. The reason is clear—Tamil Nadu voters have long rejected third forces. Stars like Vijayakanth or Kamal Haasan could not break that wall. But this time, things are different. Vijay should not be dismissed so quickly. Because he is not playing for second place—his target is leadership. Both DMK and AIADMK now recognise him as a major challenge. He is drawing support across caste, religion and class divides. That is why both Chief Minister MK Stalin and Opposition Leader Palaniswami are intensifying their campaigns to counter him. Yet the question remains—can history be made so easily? Annadurai or MGR did not become leaders overnight; they built their place among the people over many years.

Vijay seems to be seeking a shortcut—but do shortcuts really succeed in politics? There is anger against the government, yes; but will people hand over the keys of the state to a newcomer purely on that anger? Vijay has charisma, but charisma alone is not enough to win elections. He needs a strong political movement and a smart alliance strategy. For now, Vijay is the leader with the greatest potential to cause an upset in Tamil Nadu politics. There is no doubt he can change the game; but whether he can truly be the agent of change, it is still too early to say. Will the 2026 election be a political blockbuster for superstar Vijay Thalapathy—or will he stumble at the ballot box like at the box office? Only time will tell.

Dipankar Dipon: Filmmaker