Thalapathy’s vision: What Vijay’s films tell us about his ideology

Thalapathy’s vision: What Vijay’s films tell us about his ideology From chocolate boy to zealous reformist, here’s how Vijay’s roles transformed and charted his political aspirations Tamil actor-turned-politician Vijay scripted a blockbuster electoral debut on Monday. His Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) was set to form the government in Tamil Nadu, with the superstar in pole position to occupy the CM’s chair. Here’s a look at his cinematic journey. Vijay’s cinematic journey suggests that this political turn is not a sudden twist, but a long, carefully scripted build-up. The son of director SA Chandrasekhar, Vijay’s initial foray into films was rooted in romance and family dramas where he played the chocolate boy. Movies such as Kathalukku Mariyathai (1997, directed by Fazil), Thullatha Manam Thullum (1999, directed by S. Ezhil) positioned him as the boy next door, an endearing figure defined by sacrifice, deep-rooted emotional sincerity and empathy. There were no political narratives in any of those 90s films, but they had an important function. They built “trust”. By playing relatable characters, he harvested emotional capital. The real pivot came in the first decade of the 2000s. Vijay transitioned into action roles. He played a young do-gooder lawyer in 2002’s Thamizan (directed by Abdul Majidh), and rebranded himself as a mass hero with a soft side in films such as Ghilli (2004, directed by Dharani) and Pokiri (2007, directed by Prabhu Deva). He went after the baddies, did not follow all the rules, but ensured that good always triumphed over evil. Around 2011, after the AIADMK won assembly elections, Vijay’s cinematic oeuvre took a distinctively political turn. Directors such as AR Murugadoss, who made films like Thuppakki (2012) and Kaththi (2014) moved to what could be called ground issue-based narratives. Kaththi addressed the issue of agrarian distress and the corporate (particularly, multinational) exploitation of natural resources. Mersal (2017, directed by...