Thalapathy Vijay: Can the GOAT star repeat success in politics, where the likes of Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan failed?

Tamil superstar Vijay's 'GOAT' (Greatest Of All Time) opened to fans in packed theaters across Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states on Friday, September 5, amid much fanfare and celebrations. GOAT is said to be a period science fiction film that has a cast including Prashanth, Prabhudheva, Sneha, Ajmal Ameer, Vaibhav, Laila, Mohan, Aravind Akash, and Ajay Raj.??

CREDIT: IANS

Vijay's second-last movie

For fans, including many who grew up watching Vijay's movies, it is a bittersweet moment as this is one of the last times they may see him on the screen. Fondly called Thalapathy, Vijay is all set to bid adieu to his more than four-decade-old movie career as he will be embarking on a new path.??

Vijay, the politician

Thalapathy 69, which is set to be released in 2025, will be his last movie as Vijay transitions into a politician. Last month, Vijay unveiled the flag of his newly-founded political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).??

CREDIT: IANS

The yellow and red party flag also features two tuskers and a Vaagai flower surrounded by stars.??

“Our flag will become the symbol of our state. Along with the flag, we are introducing our party anthem also. Our flag will flutter across the country, and Tamil Nadu will be better from now on,” Vijay had said.?

How Vijay's movies became political?

Vijay, who in most of his close to 70 movies portrayed larger-than-life saviours of the masses, has been teasing his political entry for some time.??

CREDIT: IANS

Vijay has been locking horns with the BJP for some time, with his criticism of demonetisation and GST. Things came to blows in 2017 with the release of Mersal, which had dialogues critical of GST, introduced by the Modi government.??

Vijay vs Tamil Nadu BJP

The Tamil Nadu BJP hit back by claiming that 'Joseph Vijay' is a practicing Christian, and that was his reason for 'hating Modi'.?

In April 2021, on the day of the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, Vijay once again made headlines after he was seen riding a cycle to the polling booth. While his team played down the incident, many had seen it as a subtle message asking people to vote against those responsible for petrol and diesel price rises.??

CREDIT: BCCL

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam

After years of dragging his feet, Vijay made his political intentions clear in February 2024. Vijay's party is set to make its electoral debut in the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections.??

Also read:?On Madras Day, actor Vijay unveils flag of his political party, Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam

Can Vijay succeed as a politician

While Tamil Nadu has a long history of actor-turned-politicians, all the way from MGR to Jayalalithaa, movie stardom has not always guaranteed political success.??

CREDIT: IANS

The most notable such cases are that of Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. Despite being massively popular, Rajinikanth failed to establish himself as a politician, and in 2021 he dissolved Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM), a fans group-turned-political outfit he had established.??

Kamal Haasan also ventured into politics with Makkal Needhi Maiam, which was founded in 2018, but has yet to make any impact politically.??

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