“Three years ago in Madurai, the AIADMK and the BJP had inaugurated the AIIMS hospital, do you remember? I have brought the hospital with me,” Udhayanidhi Stalin told the crowd in Sattur of Virudhunagar on March 23, 2021 while he was campaigning for Sattur constituency candidate Raghuraman. “Only this single brick is there in the allotted land. What have they [AIADMK-BJP] done in three years?” he asked. Political analysts and journalists are of the opinion that using the infamous ‘AIIMS brick’ during his campaign cemented Udhayanidhi Satlin’s win and his political career.
Now, the Chepauk MLA and the son of Chief Minister MK Stalin has been inducted into the Tamil Nadu Cabinet as the Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development and Special Initiatives Implementation. The move is seen as the next step in grooming him to succeed Stalin as Chief Minister and chief of the DMK.
Udhayanidhi Stalin became the youth wing secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 2019, a position that his father and the current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin held from 1982 to 2017. While MK Stalin was inducted into the Cabinet during his fourth term as an MLA by his father and former Chief Minister Karunanidhi, Udhayanidhi Stalin has received the same opportunity during his first term as MLA, leading to the DMK facing severe criticism for dynasty politics.
Born on November 27, 1977 Udhayanidhi comes from a legacy of politicians who were at the helm of the DMK and several movements that shaped Tamil Nadu’s political landscape. He studied at the Don Bosco school and went on to receive a visual communications degree from Loyola College in Chennai. Like his predecessors, Udhayanidhi first ventured into cinema but as a producer. Under the banner of Red Giant Movies, Udhayanidhi produced Kuruvi starring Vijay and Trisha in 2008. Subsequently, he went on to produce several popular films like Aadhavan (2009), 7aum Arivu (2011), and Vanakkam Chennai (2013), which was directed by his wife, Kiruthiga. The Chepauk MLA is also expected to produce Indian 2 which is going to be released in the upcoming year and Kamal Hassan’s 234th movie. Udhayanidhi has distributed movies including recent commercial hits like Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal, Beast, Vikram, and Ponniyin Selvan-1 among others.
Alongside producing movies, Udhayanidhi began starring in them as well. Udhayanidhi’s acting career began with a small cameo role in one of the movies he produced – Aadhavan. Eventually, he began starring in lead roles while also producing those movies. He made his debut in M Rajesh’s Oru Kal Oru Kannadi (2012) along with Hansika Motwani and Santhanam. He went on to star in several movies including Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal (2014), Manithan (2016), Saravanan Irukka Bayamen (2017), Nimir (2018), and his latest Kalaga Thalaivan (2022). While Udhayanidhi starred in romantic comedies where he played the carefree, boy next door, he began to take on more serious roles that revolved around social justice like Manithan, Nenjukku Needhi, and Kalaga Thalaivan. He is also playing the lead role in Mari Selvaraj’s Maamannan along with Keerthy Suresh, Fahadh Faisal and Vadivelu.
Before Udhayanidhi became an MLA, he was involved in political campaigns for members who contested from the DMK. Taking after his father, Udhayanidhi also served as the youth wing secretary of the DMK since 2019. According to Times of India, Chief Minister MK Stalin consulted then general secretary of the party K Anbazhagan and considered giving it to Anbil Mahesh, the present Minister of School Education. However, Anbil Mahesh reportedly turned down the offer and said he would rather work as “Udhayanidhi’s lieutenant.”
Udhayanidhi went on to contest in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in 2021 from the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency and secured 68.92% of the votes, winning by a comfortable margin. Leading up to the election, Udhayanidhi’s campaign launched a tirade of attacks against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The AIIMS brick jibe sent across a serious message to the voters and highlighted the apparent apathy shown by the union government and the then ruling party in Tamil Nadu — All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in developing the state.
After his victory, Udhayanidhi Stalin introduced robotic sewage cleaners in his constituency, becoming the first person to do so in the state of Tamil Nadu. He was also appointed as a member of the Anna University Syndicate in September 2021 by Assembly Speaker Appavu and will hold the post for three years. According to The Hindu, Udhayanidhi’s appointment received mixed responses as professors felt that there would be increased support from the government but the MLA might not be accessible to the employees.
Udhayanidhi faced criticism In 2020 for posting a picture of Hindu deity Vinayagar during Vinayagar Chathurthi without a caption on Twitter. After being criticised for ‘hypocrisy’ and walking away from DMK’s ideology of rationalism and atheism. Udhayanidhi posted a clarification saying that his daughter wanted a picture of the idol. He further added that she was asking questions about why the idol is submerged after the celebrations.