Actor Vijay, referred to as Thalapathy by his fans, has contributed a total of Rs 1.3 crore to various coronavirus relief funds. The actor, on Wednesday, announced Rs 25 lakh for the PM Relief Fund, Rs 50 lakh for the TN CM’s Relief Fund, Rs 10 lakh for the Kerala CM’s Relief Fund, Rs 20 lakh for the Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI) and Rs 5 lakh each for Karnataka, Andhra, Telangana, and Puducherry CM Relief Funds.
Vijay has a good following both in Tamil Nadu and in Kerala. The actor has also reportedly set aside an amount to be directly used by his fan clubs for relief measures.
Vijay’s contribution comes at a time when the country is almost a month into lockdown. Notably, among his peers, actor Ajith contributed Rs 1.25 crore as relief to national and state relief funds set up by the Central and state governments. Ajith donated Rs 50 lakh each to PM CARES (Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) Fund and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. He also donated Rs 25 lakh to the Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI). Ajith, referred to as Thala by his fans, is often pitted against Vijay by their respective fans even while the two have remained amicable off-screen.
As of April 20, the Tamil Nadu government has received Rs 160 crore, 93 lakh, 74 thousand, and 572 from various individuals and firms towards the state's fight against the spread of coronavirus.
Actor Vijay is currently awaiting the release of Master, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. Master also stars Vijay Sethupathi and Malavika Mohanan in lead roles. The film was initially scheduled to release on April 9 and recently it was speculated that it may release on June 22 to coincide with Vijay’s birthday. Vijay was last seen in Bigil directed by Atlee and produced by AGS Entertainments. The film was well received by the star’s fans.