When Vijay made his entry into Tamil cinema as a
leading man in Naalaiya Theerpu (1992), directed by his father S.A.
Chandrasekhar not many could have predicted that he would be a consistently
successful superstar. My mother was the exception. She had seen him on TV when
Vijay was a child actor, breaking down when asked about his deceased sister,
Vidhya. Ever since, she has been a well – wisher who predicted that the
grieving boy would be a star, celebrating his rise to the very top of the Tamil
film industry, gradually overtaking giants like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan
while enjoying a healthy rivalry with Ajith Kumar. An early indicator of the
love and goodwill Vijay would generate.
He wasn’t handsome in the classical sense. Nor
charismatic though he showed potential. There was an earnestness to him which
hinted at genuine appeal. But his first film flopped and he was mostly
dismissed. Vijay’s grit became apparent as he kept releasing films. They were
not great but qualified as time-pass entertainment. Usually they featured
foot-tapping songs and his dance moves came to be appreciated. There would be
passable comedy tracks, the pedestrian quota of fights, glam heroines, and evil
villains who were the Goliath to his Samson. By then, it was clear that he had
staying power.
Vijay’s Poove Unakkaga (1996), directed by Vikraman
was a turning point. It saw him in experimental mode as he attempted to make a
family entertainer which was significantly different from the front – bencher
fare he had been serving up. A rare Vijay film where he doesn't get the girl but helps her unite with her lover instead and repair the rift between their warring fmailies. The win saw him make more ‘different’ films like
Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997) directed by Fazil where the lead pair like Shah
Rukh and Kajol from DDLJ refused to marry without securing the approval of
their controlling families.
By then, the curly – haired youngster had established
himself a bankable star with films like Once More, Thullatha Manamum Thullum,
and Kushi. He wasn’t considered the greatest of actors, but no one could deny
that he could own a frame, deliver punch dialogues and land blows with the
requisite swagger, charm his heroines in a teasing manner and dance the hell
out of a pounding beat. Vijay could also carry a tune though he was unlikely to
make S.P. Balasubrahmanyam insecure. It helped that he was constantly adapting
and working on himself. His sartorial savvy had improved considerably, and his
lean and mean physique was making him something of a heartthrob.
Vijay was still experimenting and tried out roles with
shades of grey in films like Priyamudan, where his character is nothing short
of an obsessive stalker and Priyamanavale, where the protagonist likes to try
on a wife for size in exchange for money. His efforts were modestly successful.
And then Ghilli (2004) happened. A remake of the Telugu blockbuster Okaddu, it
would establish Vijay as a box office behemoth. There was no looking back after
that. Great success and challenges awaited Thalapathy (commander) as he came to
be known by his legion of increasingly rabid fans.
Now that Vijay had cracked the alchemical code for
delivering box office gold consistently, he made himself some powerful enemies.
Jana Nayagan, his final film, crashed into a wall of political pressure and is
yet to be released. But this is not the first time, Vijay has had to deal with
this. Thalaiva (2013) with the tagline, “Time to Lead” was apparently viewed as
a direct threat by then chief minister, Jayalalithaa lovingly called Thalaivi.
Forced to make several concessions, including the removal of the tagline, the
film was released after a considerable delay which derailed its chances of
success. A little down the road, Mersal (2017) faced the ire of the BJP with
party members insisting that the scenes where the protagonist questions the
efficacy of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) be removed. In 2018, his Sarkar rattled
the AIADMK party thanks to scenes that heaped scorn on their welfare schemes and
the name of the antagonist – Komalavalli, Jayalalithaa’s original name.
Through it all, Vijay, beyond the rare occasional
emotional appeal to his fans has been largely stoical. In this age of noise and
chaos, amplified by social media, Vijay’s studied silence in times of crisis belies an ability to hammer
past obstacles. Of course, nowadays he is forever delivering speeches heavy with the masala dialogue he is famed for, although, truth be told they work better on the big screen. Either way, whether he chooses silence or speechifying he generates a certain aura and carries a certain mystique, which leads to an outpouring of adoration and reverence. It is not at all an
unusual sight to see fans offering oblations of milk to giant – sized cutouts
on release day for his films. Or get into tussles with fan clubs of rival actors. And turn out in record numbers to vote for him.
Vijay films – Pokkiri, Nanban, Thuppaki, Kaththi,
Theri, Master and Leo minted money and meanwhile, he was quietly capitalizing
on his fame and ginormous fanbase. Vijay Makkal Iyakkam was launched in 2009
with the intention to streamline his fan clubs into a social welfare
organization that would carry out philanthropic activities like organizing charitable
events, blood donation camps, etc. During the Chennai and Kerala floods Vijay
donated money and relief material. In addition to this, he made it a point to
speak out on trending topics such as the farmer suicides and the jallikattu ban
establishing himself as a man of the masses who would champion their causes. In
2017, he made waves by visiting the family of S. Anitha who had committed
suicide over an M.B.B.S admission issue, offering a relief amount of 1 lakh and
has been a vocal opponent of NEET ever since.
When Vijay announced his decision to enter politics,
he met with scorn, derision and controversy. Unsurprisingly, he did not back
down and allowed the election results to do the talking. Tamilians have pinned
their hopes on him, hoping their Thalapathy will script a sensational success
story for them as well, blinded by the stardust and delusional dreams of a future unmarred by the failings of his predecessors. Once more, he finds himself encountering one road block after another, despite a historic win and it remains to be seen whether Vijay rises to the occasion and allays the fears of his critics who have opined that it is a fool's move to vote for an untested superstar when the future of Tamil Nadu is at stake, or prove them right.
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