Sharanya Hrishikesh and Neyaz FarooqueeBBC News, Delhi
TVK/XAn Indian superstar-turned-politician is at the centre of a massive row after 40 people died in a crush at his party’s rally on Saturday.
Tens of thousands of people turned up at the campaign event held by Vijay in Karur district in Tamil Nadu state. The actor was in the middle of his speech when the crowd surged suddenly.
The tragedy has sparked a blame game, with the opposition accusing government officials of not deploying enough police personnel to control crowds.
Police officials have said that the rally’s organisers, who are from Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party, underestimated the anticipated crowd size and did not take enough precautions.
Who is Vijay?
With an acting career spanning decades, 51-year-old Vijay is one of the most popular actors in Tamil Nadu.
Over the years, he has worked his way up to becoming one of the most bankable stars, with even films panned by critics becoming massive box-office hits.
Born Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar to a film director father and singer mother, he acted in several films as a child.
Vijay first played the hero in 1992’s Naalaiya Theerpu, directed by his father. The film, about a group of college students taking on a corrupt businessman, was a flop but as the news website Scroll put it, it sowed the “seeds of Vijay’s carefully crafted screen persona as the man with the solution to Tamil Nadu’s problems”.
He then appeared in several romances and comedies – many of them box-office hits – and became a familiar face for audiences. His smooth dance moves in particular won him many fans.
Over the years, he starred in many superhit action thrillers, including Ghilli (2004), Pokkiri (2007), Thuppakki (2012) and Kaththi (2014) where he displayed easy chemistry with his heroines and cool action mannerisms.
His fans called him Ilaya Thalapathy, or Young Commander – most huge Tamil stars have fan-approved monikers like these.
Whenever a new Vijay film would release, fans would turn out at cinema halls in droves to celebrate and support him.
Over the past few years, even films which got bad critical reviews, such as Beast (2022) and The Greatest of All Time (2024), have become box-office hits.
After the success of Beast, the Indian Express wrote that Vijay’s “stardom has reached a point, where even his most unimaginative, unoriginal and unamusing movie could bring in global box office receipts of upwards of 2bn rupees ($22.5m; £16.7m)”.
Ragul Krishan/EPA/ShutterstockWhy did he join politics?
There had been speculation around Vijay’s political entry for years – a fan club he launched gave a creditable performance in the 2021 local elections. He had also made several statements over the years that were interpreted as having political undertones.
But his decision to quit acting to enter full-time politics still took fans by surprise. He has said that Jana Nayagan, set to release early next year, will be his last film.
It’s common for film stars in India’s southern states to join politics, as they bank on their popularity and mass appeal to translate into electoral dividends.
The biggest example in Tamil Nadu is MG Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR, who joined the state’s ruling party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 1962 at the peak of his stardom.
In 1972, he had a fallout with the DMK and founded his own party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), and went on to serve as the chief minister from 1977 until his death in 1987.
The late J Jayalalithaa – one of MGR’s most successful co-stars – followed in his footsteps – joining and eventually leading the AIADMK after his death.
She served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for six terms.
Getty ImagesNot all political plunges by film stars have translated into electoral success.
Kamal Haasan, a legendary Tamil actor who has done more than 200 films across Indian film industries, launched his party Makkal Needhi Maiam in 2018, declaring his intent to challenge the dominance of the DMK and AIADMK in the state. But his party is yet to win a parliamentary or assembly seat.
Rajinikanth, one of Tamil cinema’s biggest icons, long flirted with the idea of joining politics before finally announcing in 2020 that he wouldn’t do so.
Critics argue that despite their massive popularity, celebrity-led parties often lack grassroots experience, limiting their success.
Since Vijay launched his party last year, his rallies have drawn massive crowds, with tens of thousands of people jostling to catch a glimpse of the star and get a selfie with him.
But his rivals have questioned his lack of political experience and criticised some of his statements as vague.
ReutersWhat will happen now?
Crushes at political rallies are common in India, often leading to blame games between the organisers and authorities.
In Vijay’s case, his fans allege that his party was denied permission to hold the event at a safer venue.
State officials deny this and claim the venue was approved by the party, BBC Tamil reports.
There have been some calls to even arrest Vijay, but given his immense popularity, the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government is treading cautiously.
A one-member commission of enquiry has been set up to investigate the cause of the crush. The state’s Chief Minister MK Stalin has promised action on the commission’s report within two months.
Meanwhile, TVK has approached the Madras High Court, seeking a federal investigation into the incident. The court is scheduled to hear the case on Monday.
Vijay has also been criticised for not visiting the victims of the crush yet – he has said in a statement that he is “shattered” by the tragedy and has announced financial compensation for those affected.
But it remains to be seen whether this incident will affect his popularity and political ambitions.
