Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, has a long and unique political history in which movies serve as both entertainment and a form of government. The state has often seen film stars enter politics, ranging from the highly successful careers of M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) and Jayalalithaa both of whom became chief ministers to the more mixed political journeys of Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Khushbu, and Vijayakanth.
Ahead of the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, the electoral Commission of India on Thursday assigned electoral symbols to actors Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM).
TVK’s party symbol is “Whistle,” while MNM’s election symbol is “Battery Torch.” With his 2019 huge hit “Bigil,” which translates to “whistle,” which brought in almost Rs 300 crore worldwide and catapulted Vijay’s career to new heights, the symbol resonates.
The film, which was directed by Atlee, tells the story of a football player who gives up his passion after his father is killed but eventually becomes a coach for a women’s football team. “Cup Mukkiyam Bigilu” (winning the cup is an important whistle) is another highly popular joke from the movie.
“Whistle is extremely well-liked by both Vijay’s followers and admirers. People will find resonance in this. “We are content,” a Team Vijay member stated.
The symbol is reminiscent of another popular song from the movie GOAT, “Whistle Podu.” “On the playfield whistle is blown when there is foul play,” remarked Divyan, a supporter of Vijay. The wrong will be stopped by this whistle sign. We’ll all turn into whistleblowers.
Many young men and women support Vijay, who has a cult following. Vijay aims to achieve the same level of success as Anna Durai and MGR in 1966 and 1977.
But according to film scholar and critic Pritham K. Chakravarthy, Vijay’s fame has never been coincidental. “The seed was planted by his father who had Communist leanings and was keen on joining politics.”
Vijay started out as a child actor in the 1980s. His parents, singer-writer Shoba Chandrasekhar and director SA Chandrasekhar, introduced him as a lead actor in Naalaiya Theerpu in 1992. His career did not fail, but the movie did.
It’s a different Vijay now. According to Chakravarthy, “his on-screen persona as incorruptible, restrained, and morally upright mirrored the ethical imagination of Dravidian politics, a cinematic grammar Tamil audiences recognize instinctively.”
Thus, Vijay’s film had already laid the ideological foundation long before he started his party. Soft political speeches were combined with audio releases. Quietly, fan clubs evolved into grassroots networks.
With joyous first-day screenings, shows at midnight and 4:00, milk offerings on tall cutouts, garlands, drums, and whistles, the fanbase is fervent and ritualistic.
“Vijay is still able to transform a film’s release into a large-scale public gathering. According to Shrikrishna, “he is possibly the last of the mega stars of this scale.”
Additionally, Vijay’s farewell movie Jana Nayagan, which was supposed to be released before Pongal, has been delayed since the Central Film Certification Board has not yet given its approval. The orders of the Madras High Court have been postponed.
The stampede during Vijay’s rally in Karur last year, which claimed 41 lives, is the subject of a CBI investigation. Recently, Vijay received two summonses to the CBI headquarters in Delhi for interrogation.
No significant party has yet to support Vijay, despite his willingness to share power if he receives respectable numbers in the election that is scheduled to take place in a few months. He is being actively persuaded to endorse the NDA by the main opposition party, the AIADMK, and its ally, the BJP.
Vijay has ruled out a direct or indirect partnership with the BJP and has been referring to the ruling DMK as his political enemy and the BJP as his ideological rival.
The ruling DMK and its ally the Congress claim Vijay is being coerced by the BJP to back the NDA, a claim the BJP has refuted. Vijay is dealing with a double whammy of sorts, with his film in danger and the CBI summoning him twice.
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The ruling DMK, which has won three straight elections, has maintained its coalition on the ground. After losing three straight elections, the AIADMK has restored relations with the BJP. The whistle’s current task is to check the two leaves of AIADMK and the rising sun of DMK.
