Another star appears on South horizon, but can Vijay do a Pawan Kalyan?

The Tamil Nadu ‘Thalapathy’ can take some tips from his Andhra counterpart, including courting friends and attracting voters beyond fan base

vijay, Pawan Kalyan, political pulse, tamil nadu, indian express

(From left to right) South Indian superstars Thalapathy (Vijay) and Pawan Kalyan. (Instagram/ FB)

As Vijay pushes ahead with his political ambitions in Tamil Nadu, he has one thing in common with Pawan Kalyan, a fellow South Indian superstar who has had the most success in the field recently – they have both entered politics in the prime of their film career, enjoying the support of millions of fans.

While ‘Power Star (Pawan Kalyan)’ floated his JanaSena Party (JSP) in 2014 and was part of the coalition that won this year’s Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, ‘Thalapathy (Vijay)’ has only recently launched his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.

The two have taken vastly different roads to politics, though – Kalyan, the Andhra Deputy Chief Minister now, has positioned himself as the defender of Sanatana Dharma; while Vijay has announced his party’s ideology as “secular social justice”.

While Kalyan is seen as projecting himself as an alternative to ally BJP, in Tamil Nadu, Vijay’s stand mirrors the state’s Dravidian heavyweights in the AIADMK and DMK, and their legacy.

However, there is something Vijay can learn from Kalyan’s political journey, given how the latter has bounced back after being trounced in the 2019 Andhra polls, and that is his successful conversion of his fan base into voters.

It’s not as easy as this sounds, as other movie stars before Kalyan have realised. Take for example Kalyan’s own brother, megastar Chiranjeevi. He launched his Praja Rajyam Party in 2008 to the roaring support of teeming fans. But the party won just 18 seats in the first Assembly polls it contested, out of total 294 in the state then, and within three years, merged with the Congress.

Express Opinion | Vandita Mishra writes: The new, the old and the new-old

Another example is Kamal Haasan, who launched his political party, Makkal Needhi Maiam, in 2018. The party has not seen electoral success still, despite associating itself with the ruling DMK coalition in Tamil Nadu now.

Story continues below this ad

Neither Chiranjeevi nor Kamal Haasan could do what yesteryear stars M G Ramachandran (MGR) achieved in 1972, and N T Rama Rao (NTR) later in 1982. Having founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in opposition to the Congress government in the then united Andhra, NTR captured power in the state in 1983, within a year of entering politics.

In 1977, MGR had pulled off an almost similar political debut, leading the AIADMK to power five years after he joined politics.

The success of both was the result of their ability to convert fan clubs into political units, and to get voters to believe in the political ideology of their parties.

In the case of Kalyan, what has helped is the political alliances he has formed, first with the TDP and BJP separately, and then playing a role in getting the two to come back together on the same platform.

Story continues below this ad

Also Read | Actor-politician Vijay’s party takes on DMK, BJP

JSP insiders say Kalyan also showed shrewdness in his willingness to make “sacrifices” in seat-sharing to make this come about. In the recent elections, for example, he contested just 21 of the 175 seats in the state’s Assembly and two of the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies. More importantly, all his party’s candidates won.

Where could Vijay be looking for friends come the next Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, in 2026? He dropped some hints at his party’s first state-level conference last month, calling the BJP his “ideological enemy” and the DMK his “political enemy”.

This has led to speculation that Vijay could form an alliance with the Congress in Tamil Nadu. However, with the Congress itself a weakened force in the state, only the coming days will tell how this hand will play out.

Nikhila Henry

Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice. Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India. Expertise & Focus Areas Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include: Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India. Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism. Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities. National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting. Authoritativeness & Trust A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society. Find all stories by Nikhila Henry here. ... Read More