When pictures of Madhar Badhurudeen, campaigning in the recent assembly elections in India's southern Tamil Nadu state, emerged on social media, few thought he would stand a chance.
Badhurudeen belongs to the political party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), headed by film star-turned-politician Chandrasekhar Joseph Vijay, popularly called Thalapathy (Commander) Vijay. He contested from the Madurai Central constituency, home to the Meenakshi Amman temple, a popular Hindu shrine.
Ahead of the elections last month, Badhurudeen, a 42-year-old meat shop owner, was seen seeking votes accompanied by a group of TVK supporters.
In contrast, his two rivals from the dominant regional parties - the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) - had high-decibel rallies, colourful processions and high-profile senior leaders and celebrities campaigning for them.
They were also heavyweights - the DMK candidate was state minister and senior leader Palanivel Thiaga Rajan and the AIADMK had well-known actor-filmmaker Sundar C.
