Megastar of Kollywood (Tamil cinema) Thalapathy Vijay recently launched his own party — Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, which means ‘Tamil Nadu Victory Party’ — with an intention to solely commit to politics.
Ideology and symbol of the party is not yet announced. However, Vijay intends to contest all 234 seats and win the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
This is not it, with an aim to just serve the people of Tamil Nadu, he disclosed his decision to quit films.
There were rumours that the star will complete his last few films before entering politics. In that view, the actor shared that he is leaving the film industry to focus on his political career.
While addressing his fans and supporters on Sunday during the first TVK event, Vijay said that he has thrown away the peak of his career hence the salary too.
As per sources, given previous commitments, Vijay is set to resume shooting for Thalapathy 69 from November 4. And reports suggest that he is the highest paid actor in India and possibly in all of Asia, going by the fee of ₹275 crore for Thalapathy 69, which technically should be his last film.
It has been learnt that the film is expected to conclude by April 2025. It is scheduled for a release in October.
Actor's personal and professional life
Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar was born on June 22, 1974, to film producer and director SA Chandrasekhar and Shoba Chandrasekhar, who is a playback singer.
He had a sister named Vidhya Chandrasekhar, who died at the age of two. The film Sukran depicted Vidhya Chandrasekhar’s story. Vijay went on to study visual communications at Loyola College in Chennai, where he met fellow actors Surya Sivakumar, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Karthik Raja and Vishnuvardhan.
He married a Sri Lankan Tamil, Sangeetha Sornalingam, on August 25, 1999. She was a big fan of Vijay and was excited to marry him. The couple is blessed with two children, a son named Jason Sanjay, born on August 26, 2000 in London, and a daughter named Divya Saasha, born on September 9, 2005 in Chennai.
Being an actor and also a playback singer, Vijay played several minor roles in films produced by his father.
Post-Thirumalai, he began portraying a stereotypical acting manner, following the legacy of Rajinikanth and MG Ramachandran.
Vijay has a large fan base. He is one of the highest-paid actors in the Tamil film industry, and he is referred to by fans and the media as Thalapathy.
Vijay was earlier called Ilaya Thalapathy. Ilaya in Tamil means young.
In 2017, Vijay and director Atlee decided to change his epithet to Thalapathy, which means commander or leader.
Vijay’s relation with Rajnikanth
Fans of two Tamil superstars Rajinikanth and ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay have always been at loggerheads. There have been instances when tensions have escalated between the two fan groups.
However, ‘Superstar’ Rajnikanth has cleared the air. He said Vijay grew up in front of my eyes. Rajinikanth recalled the days when he shooted one of his films at Vijay’s house.
The superstar said that he was just 13 years old.
After the shooting, his father introduced me to Vijay and said that he was interested in acting. He asked me to tell Vijay to concentrate on his studies first. I advised him to do so.
Vijay’s presence on social media
Vijay has 5.3 million followers on X and 12.3 million on Instagram. However, he said that he prefers to read books, instead of taking selfies and posting them on social media.
He also said that he does not like to get exposed on social media.
Political party
On February 2, 2024, Tamil actor Vijay announced the formation of his political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The party’s name translates to "Tamil Nadu Victory Party" in English.
Vijay made the announcement in a statement released on his X account. He said that the party’s goal is to “bring about a fundamental change in the political system" of Tamil Nadu. He also said that the party will be from all sorts of biases.
Vijay’s announcement has been met with mixed reactions. Some people have welcomed the move, while others have expressed skepticism. It remains to be seen whether Vijay will be able to make a significant impact in Tamil Nadu politics.
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