In Tamil Nadu, reel is often indistinguishable from real, particularly in politics. In a State where people have gotten used to film folding into politics and vice versa, in fitting fashion, the website of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) runs an AI-generated scene of war in the background. The ground shudders as a general rides in on horseback and dismounts, in a classic introductory scene for the hero, the rescuer, the commander who will vanquish all evil — C. Joseph Vijay.

Just over two years old, the TVK, which was formed in February 2024, has managed a cinematic transformation, going on to seize an impressive number of seats (108) in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in its political debut. Essentially emerging from Vijay’s extensive fan-based network, the TVK has since declared itself as a secular organisation, rooted in the Tamil experience, and committed to social justice and equality.

While the party was questioned several times by its fierce critics about its ideological stance, it positioned itself as a movement with a stake in equality. It went with the opening lines of Tirukkural 972: Pirappokkum ella uyirkkum, meaning “all are born equal”. The party also created a motley pantheon of sorts, installing social reformist leader Periyar, former Chief Minister Kamaraj, the father of the Constitution, Ambedkar, freedom fighter Velu Nachchiyar, and Gandhian and social activist Anjalai Ammal on a pedestal.

Tamil Nadu government formation updates - May 9, 2026

While his entry into politics was rumoured for long, it was on February 2, 2024, when people least expected it, that Vijay launched his political party, christening it the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, sticking to the Tamil identity and playing on his name: Vijay — for victory. He chose to launch in Chennai, the fortress of the party’s Enemy No. 1 — the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

Vijay had decided to take the bull by its horns in a State that understood a jallikattu metaphor very well. The city repaid him richly — the TVK won in 14 of Chennai’s 16 seats, even defeating incumbent Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in his Kolathur base, a seat he had won three times before.

During the launch, Vijay perorated, to raucous applause and whistling from his fans: “It is a fact that everyone is yearning for governance that is selfless, transparent, corruption-free, and without caste or religious bias. What is important is that such politics is in tune with the Tamil culture of equality and political traditions of the State, and within the framework of the Indian Constitution.”

Political and ideological rivals

He declared he would contest only in the 2026 Assembly elections, and would skip the Lok Sabha polls of 2024. He pointed to the DMK as his political rival and the BJP, his ideological rival. Vijay went on to rail against Stalin and the DMK, accusing them of indulging in dynastic politics and corruption, promising a “change” from all that. The TVK, he claimed, would defeat the behemoth Dravidian duopoly, set store by people-centred politics, fight against corruption, drugs and unsafe spaces for women, and create job opportunities for the youth. The TVK’s election manifesto, released later, however, mirrored the freebie promise culture that was advanced by both the Dravidian parties, enhancing it, too, in some ways.

Seeking a new paradigm for Dravidian exceptionalism 

He went on to refer to Stalin as ‘Stalin Uncle’ in an obvious effort to underline his relative youth, hailing the younger demographic. He urged children to ask their parents and grandparents to vote for ‘Vijay mama’. The election symbol allotted to the TVK by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the whistle, too, worked its charm, with its entrenched emotive connect to the people of the State.

A bunch of factors worked in his favour, with the effect of wooing voters away from the parties they were used to voting for. In a remarkable diversion from the way Tamil Nadu has usually voted — either the DMK or the AIADMK — the people chose a political newbie, a party that had never been in power before.

Vijay or the TVK may not have tasted power or been through the hamster wheel of governance, but he had actually announced his political ambition with the launch of Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (VMI), an organisation of fans with a welfare motive, in 2009. In Tamil Nadu, the narpani mandram is an established tradition — it is basically a welfare club of fans who come together to carry out outreach activities in the name of the star. These range between providing drinking water in public places during summer, blood donation camps, and educational assistance for children. The VMI, set up in 2009, however, went beyond.

Over 80,000 fan clubs were set up under the VMI, a base that would grow to outpace the mightiest of political parties in Tamil Nadu. While they implemented the regular welfare measures that narpani mandrams are usually involved in — distribution of computers to students, setting up free canteens, and blood donation camps — Vijay bid them to stretch a bit. They came together to launch disaster relief work during cyclones and floods in the State; some of the members contested as Independents in the 2021 local body polls and emerged victorious.

Also read | An open letter to Joseph Vijay

He himself stretched beyond the remit of a welfare/fan club president — in January 2017, he extended support to the massive protests that shook the State against the ban on jallikattu, the bull taming sport. A smart move, as it was diving right into the heart of the youth base who would be his prospective voter base. Taking on the role of the anti-establishment hero he had been building himself up as, through his movies, he visited the venue on the Marina in Chennai, masked up.

He also met with political party leaders over the years, including the Congress’ Rahul Gandhi, the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his term as Gujarat Chief Minister, and social activist Anna Hazare. Vijay met the family members of S. Anitha, a topper in the Class XII examination, who ended her life after she failed to clear the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), at their home in Ariyalur. He also visited the families of the victims of the anti-Sterlite protests, again in their homes, in Thoothukudi. This was something he failed to do, inexplicably, after the Karur stampede.

During his rally in Karur, in September 2025, 41 persons, including children, died in a stampede that occurred when his caravan belatedly pulled into Velusamypuram on the narrow Karur-Erode highway. His actions after this were unusual — he left the place overnight and brought the family members of the victims to Chennai to meet him, instead of meeting them in their homes. In a later rally, he would rhetorically ask: “What did I do wrong in Karur?” turning the tables on the State government.

Walking on fire

Rambunctious crowds lined the pathways whenever he made a public appearance, dangerously throwing themselves at his convoy. Even during the heat of the campaign where the leaders of other political parties went to the nooks and crannies of the State, Vijay’s appearances were few and far between. But that was a choice he had made, to adopt a strategy that was dissed as ‘lazy’ before the elections, but remarked upon with admiration after his win: A man, who seemingly was a loner, had no use for traditional electoral campaign methods. Instead, he turned to social media, setting, for his cadre, a task to build a whirlwind engagement agenda online. An army of official and unofficial supporters built up a storm — one that eventually put him ahead of all his rivals.

The TVK has indeed emerged the disruptor Vijay promised it would be. In some ways, it has already reshaped the power map in Tamil Nadu, but the sequence of events in the days after the declaration of results has turned out to border the farcical. While the TVK holds 108 seats (and 35% vote share), the highest any party has scored this election, it fell short of the absolute majority of 118 in a 234-seat legislature. After a week of negotiations, he managed to get support and bring his tally up to an acceptable 120 seats. Intense parleys for support and flip flops have dominated the recent political scene in Tamil Nadu. Vijay, a political novice, has been thrown willy-nilly into the smouldering coal bed of politicking and political jockeying. How will a hero, used to setting the screens on fire, take to walking on fire? As the plot thickens, stay tuned.