What next for Ilayathalapathy Vijay?

KARUR: Film actors are demigods in Tamil Nadu. A popular actor in the Dravidian heartland would be capable of even moving mountains. Such is the support and devotion people shower on them. This makes Tamil actors tailor-made for politics. If there is a place that would blindly elect a superstar into power in elections, it would be Tamil Nadu. Vijay knew this well and deftly moved his cards to reap the dividends. Until Saturday evening, the superstar actor was, according to many surveys, the likely next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 2026. However, the tragedy that befell Karur has not only shattered many hearts but also Vijay’s ambitious political entry.

From mid-2010, Vijay, through his movies, was giving sly hints of his inevitable political entry. Through the years, the actor meticulously laid the foundation work, asking his large swathe of fan groups to moonlight as political workers in the village and spread the message of his arrival. Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam was thus born amidst much ado.

With assembly elections around the corner comes the Karur tragedy. Analysts predict the magnitude of the tragedy that killed 40, including a toddler, would seriously dampen Vijay’s almost assured election triumph. The actor may have had his reasons to suddenly fly to Chennai from the tragedy spot. However, it is now being portrayed in a way that judges the actor's political decisions as puerile and harsh.

People will judge Vijay, who left for Chennai in a matter of minutes from the scene of the tragedy, and Chief Minister Stalin, who arrived in Karur from Chennai within hours. Vijay’s carefully orchestrated political entry and his step-by-step efforts to finally become a tour de force in Tamil Nadu politics have finally taken a hit. With only eight months left for the next elections, the ball has now landed in DMK’s court.

DMK, meanwhile, is treading a fine line as Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said he would not politicise the tragedy. A sudden arrest of the actor is feared to resuscitate his bruised political image, and DMK would not dare to make such an error at this point. BJP, meanwhile, is deftly moving ahead, blaming the state government rather than Vijay for the Karur horror.