For more than two decades, Vijay had remained one of Tamil Cinema’s most recognisable figures, with a fan base that cuts across districts, caste groups, and age categories. Long before launching his party, his fan clubs functioned as organised local networks that carried out welfare activities during floods, the pandemic years, and other crises.
Today, those same networks form the backbone of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), raising a key political question whether a cinema-based support structure translates into durable electoral strength. But this transition has also faced a test. The Karur stampede, which left over 40 people dead during a TVK event, has brought questions of organisation, accountability, and political readiness into sharper focus.
TNM’s Pooja Prasanna and Shabbir Ahmed examine whether Vijay's transition from cinema icon to political challenger can move beyond visibility and momentum to become a sustained electoral force.