If his recent speech with heavy political undertones is any indication, actor Vijay may soon enter politics. The actor, on Wednesday, November 1, said that he will remain a Thalapathy (commander - his on-screen moniker) and fulfill the commands of the people.
“There is only one Puratchi Thalaivar (former CM MGR), only one Nadigar Thilagam (Sivaji), only one Puratchi Kalaignar Captain (Vijayakanth), only one Ulaganayagan (Kamal Haasan), only one Superstar (Rajinikanth), and only one Thala (Ajith Kumar). Everyone knows the meaning of Thalapathy, right? He ranks below the king. When a king commands, the Thalapathy executes it. In my opinion, all you people are kings, and I am the Thalapathy below you. I will continue to remain so. You just command, and I will fulfil it,” Vijay said.
The actor was speaking at the success meet of his latest film Leo, attended by Trisha, Vijay’s co-star in the film, and director Lokesh Kanagaraj.
At the Leo event, Vijay also spoke about online abuse. Advising his fans against aggressive and toxic online behaviour, Vijay said, “I have been monitoring social media for the past few days. Why are you all so angry? Please do not do that. Let us not hurt anyone. That is not our job either. We have a lot of work.”
Ever since Leo received mixed reviews, Vijay fans have been on the defensive, slamming anyone who is critical of the movie on the internet. Besides, the film’s collection, an indication of its success, has also turned controversial. While the producer claims that the film has collected more than Rs 461 crores, supposedly the “highest total gross collection in Tamil cinema” within seven days, several industry trackers allege that the box-office figures are being manipulated. This controversy too has reportedly riled up Vijay fans.
Vijay further took a purported jibe at actor Rajinikanth in his speech. While narrating a story about two men who went to hunt in a forest, he said, “There were many creatures in the forest like deer, rabbits, elephants, crows, eagles…” When Vijay uttered the word Eagle, the audience erupted with loud cheers. Two months ago, in his speech during the film Jailer’s audio launch, Rajinikanth had said that no matter how hard a crow tries to compete with an eagle, it cannot soar as high as an eagle.
A few of Vijay’s recent actions have added fuel to the speculation that he will soon enter politics. Earlier in June, Vijay participated in an event to felicitate students who had passed out of Class 10 and Class 12. In the event, he expressed displeasure with the way the political parties are functioning and asked first-time voters to be mindful of their choices. “You are tomorrow’s voters. You will be electing the future leaders. We are poking our own eyes with our hands, by getting money for votes. Consider a politician giving Rs 1000 to a voter in a constituency that has 1.5 lakh voters. How much he must have given as a bribe, nearly 15 crore? If a person gives a bribe of Rs 15 crore think how much he must have earned before that! I want all this to be a part of your educational system. There will be a change if you go and tell your parents that they should not get money to vote,” he said.
Vijay’s Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, a welfare organisation run by his fans, also contested the local body elections in Tamil Nadu in October 2021 and won 115 seats out of 169.