Actor Vijay’s Sunday splash: Will ‘Thalapathy’ disrupt bipolar politics of Tamil Nadu?

Tamil actor Vijay addressed a mega rally of his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party in Vikravandi on Sunday, marking his formal launch into politics of the state, which has been ruled either by the DMK or the AIADMK for decades.

The 50-year-old actor, popular as Thalapathy among his fans, launched TVK in February and is expected to add a new dimension to Tamil Nadu politics in the 2026 assembly elections. The actor-turned-politician intends to field candidates for all 234 seats of the state in the upcoming assembly polls.

Vijay said TVK would not just be an alternative to existing political players but would be a primary force for change in Tamil Nadu. By jumping into politics, Vijay joins the ranks of celebrated actors turned politicians in Tamil Nadu including MG Ramachandran (MGR), Jayalalithaa, Vijayakanth and Kamal Haasan

Will Vijay be successful in disrupting Tamil Nadu's bipolar politics? Mint takes a look:

The Tamil Nadu political landscape

For decades Tamil Nadu’s political landscape has been dominated by the two Dravidian parties – the DMK and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhgham (AIADMK). Together the alliances of the two parties hold about a three-fourths per cent vote share of Tamil Nadu. The remaining about one-fourth vote share, which is up for grabs, is what Vijay could be eyeing.

Since 1970’s when the AIADMK founder MGR made his party the principal adversary to the DMK, many players have attempted to disrupt Tamil Nadu’s bipolar political set up.

Even the BJP, which has had remarkable success almost the entire country, has unable to break make inroads in Tamil Nadu. The saffron party-led NDA drew a blank in 2024 general elections polling 18.27 per cent of the votes and dislodging the AIADMK from the second slot in 12 out of the 39 constituencies.

‘Captain’ Vijayakanth launched Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) in 2005. Vijayakanth’s impact on Tamil Nadu politics was, however, short-lived. In 2018, actor Kamal launched Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) as an alternative to the ‘corrupt’ DMK and AIADMK. Haasan failed to make any impact, either.

“MGR started with the Congress and then had a stint in the DMK, before forming his own party. Vijaykant was into philanthropy before he became a politician. Only stardom is not enough, there has to be an ideology too. We know what happened to Vijayakanth, and Haasan,” said a political analyst.

Vijay stands out?

Regarding numbers, Vijay pulled it out in his first rally on Sunday. Police had estimated a crowd of about 2 lakhs but eyewitnesses said it was much more than that. But the question that remains is whether or not these numbers convert into votes.

Vijay has taken a plunge into politics at a time when the AIADMK is yet to recover from the death of party icon and former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in 2016.

Like MGR, stardom can be Vijay’s USP. At 50, age is also on his side. His supporters believe that he had taken the political plunge at the peak of his film career. “I have come abandoning the peak of my career, trusting you, the people,” Vijay said on Sunday.

DMK political rival, BJP ideological adversary

At Sunday’s conclave superstar declared the ruling DMK - Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - as his party's political rival, he called the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) his party’s ideological adversary without directly naming any political party. Vijay criticised DMK's portrayal of BJP as a fascist force saying that the Tamil Nadu’s ruling party was not fundamentally different.

"You always keep screaming fascism, fascism, and continue scaremongering among minorities. If they are practising fascism, are you any different?’ he asked

Vijay's decision to enter politics has been long associated with his influential father, film director SA Chandrasekhar. The actor's intentions became evident last June when he attended a student rally in Chennai, encouraging youngsters to advocate against accepting cash for votes and educating themselves about leaders such as Dravidian icon E V Ramasamy Periyar, former chief minister K Kamaraj, and the architect of the Constitution, B R Ambedkar.

At Sunday’s rally, first of his party, Vijay invoked all the three icons. “Our ideological opponents are those who divide people along lines of religion, caste, race, gender and wealth,” Vijay said on Sunday, referring to the BJP.

Ideology : A mix of Dravidian ideas and Tamil Nationalism

Vijay said TVK would operate on secular and socially inclusive principles. The party’s goals include upholding democracy, social justice, secularism, equality, social harmony, women’s education and empowerment, a rational mindset, a two-language policy, state autonomy, preservation of natural resources, climate-conscious development, boosting manufacturing and fostering an addiction-free Tamil Nadu.

In its first rally, Vijay’s party seems to be championing an ideology which is a mix of Dravidian ideas and Tamil nationalism.

According to political analyst Sumanth Raman, Vijay has hit a six in the first over. “That means he has started well. He could go on to score a hundred or could be dismissed in the third over. We don't know yet. We need to wait and watch,” Raman said.

Will Vijay succeed in breaking the DMK-AIADMK revolving door of Tamil Nadu politics, time will only tell. Though, Raman says, his entry has made politics in Tamil Nadu more interesting.

“And remember, that like the BJP in the Hindi belt,the DMK in Tamil Nadu is a formidable election fighting machine. Only a complete political novice will underestimate their survival skills,” Raman said.