Three days ahead of actor Vijay’s much-awaited film Beast, the actor had his first television interview in 10 years with the film’s director, Nelson Dilipkumar. During the 45-minute interview, the two spoke about Vijay’s professional as well as personal life, including his thoughts about a political career, his choice of films, his relationship with his son, and much more. Vijay’s fans, who were as excited to watch the interview as his upcoming film, say that they appreciated the opportunity to get to know the actor better, and felt personally connected to him after watching it. The interview aired on Sun TV on April 10.
One of his fans, Kalai Amutham, said, “Actor Vijay had the same charm and smile, and I enjoyed seeing him on television. Usually in audio launches, he gives a speech and leaves the stage. Here, as fans, we had the opportunity to get to know him personally. His relationship with his son, his vacation plans, his favourite food, etc.”
During the interview, Vijay spoke about his process of selecting his projects. The actor said that he decides which films to do solely based on the script, but he said he “ensures commercial entertainment elements” while doing so. He also opened up about his relationship with his son, Jason Sanjay. When asked by Nelson whether Sanjay was ready for his debut in the film industry yet, Vijay explained that he will not pressurise him, but would support his son if he decides to take up acting, which struck a chord with many viewers.
Another fan, Gowtham Raj, said, “I loved seeing him in a television interview after a decade. He was funny, cool, simple, and charming. I smiled the whole time watching and listening to him. I hope the actor continues to give interviews.”
Vijay’s fans were in for a treat because apart from the long-awaited interview, a video of him with the Beast team — actors Aparna Das and Pooja Hegde, along with Nelson Dilipkumar — was also released, where Vijay can be seen driving in his Rolls Royce around Chennai.
Ashwin, a fan of Vijay’s since his 1996 film Poove Unakkaga, said that he was looking forward to watching the interview from the moment he saw the first promo. “More than a film’s promotion, this interview connected us with the actor personally. Vijay’s words were motivating. I felt the interview ended too soon,” he said.
Here is the much awaited Rolls Royce video ♥️ @hegdepooja @Nelsondilpkumar @dancersatz @manojdft @actorvijay & #AparnaDas pic.twitter.com/CTH1yaLJ8w
— KARTHIK DP (@dp_karthik) April 10, 2022
Vijay has a well-oiled ‘rasigar mandram’ (fan club) turned ‘makkal iyakkam’ (people’s organisation) spread across the state, with members actively involved in social work. The Vijay Makkal Iyakkam recently had its first victory in the Tamil Nadu urban local body elections, conducted in February 2022.
During the interview which aired on April 10, Nelson recalled Vijay’s journey from ‘Ilaiyathalapthy’ (young commander) to ‘Thalapathy’ (commander), and asked whether he aspires to become a ‘Thalaivan’ or leader. The actor responded saying that this will depend on fans’ expectations of him, which rekindled speculations about him entering politics.
Another fan, Priya (name changed), is of the opinion that if Vijay switches to politics, he will be successful. “Vijay will be a great leader. The members of Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam have made promising progress, as mentioned by the actor in the interview. In fact, I’m waiting for him to enter politics,” she said. This view was echoed by Somasundaram, who works as a government employee and has been a Vijay fan for a long time. “There is a huge possibility of him contesting in elections in future, I will cast my vote for him if I find his political ideologies convincing,” he said.