“For the fans who gave up everything for me, I’m giving up cinema itself.” These words of Tamil superstar Vijay – fondly known as ‘Thalapathy’ to his fans – rang through Malaysia’s packed Bukit Jalil Stadium a week ago, during the recent audio launch of Jana Nayagan.The release of any Vijay film is special in Tamil Nadu, thanks to his popularity. But Jana Nayagan, set to hit screens soon, is extra special — with this swansong, the star is bidding goodbye to films after plunging full-time into politics with his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.For millions of Vijay fans across the globe, this release marks the climax of a rollercoaster of emotions. “Only after I heard him speak at the audio launch, and the umpteen fan edits that followed, did it hit me that we will no longer have such celebrations at the theatres,” says an emotional Vicky Vijay, a Salem-based auditor and ardent fan of the actor.
Vijay in stills from ‘Jana Nayagan’
Path to gloryIn 2026, Vijay is looking at new beginnings in a new arena.‘Jana Nayagan’ gets a release date: CM Vijay’s swansong film to finally hit the big screenIn the 1980s and 90s, the once scrawny and self-effacing actor made a quiet entry into a power-packed Tamil film industry, ruled by the likes of Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. Vijay had backing — he was the son of popular director SA Chandrasekhar — but his choice of roles, screen presence and penchant for action and dance was what quickly made him a force to reckon with.With 2003’s Thirumalai, the romance-drama hero in Vijay made a career-defining turn towards the action entertainer genre, which reached its peak with 2004’s Ghilli, a marquee film that would sow the seeds of superstardom, 2005’s Thirupaachi, and 2007’s Pokkiri. How 2012’s Thuppakkilit the box office on fire was an early sign of what was to follow — ‘Ilayathalapathy’ became ‘Thalapathy’ — a frenzy fuelled by his neck-and-neck competition with Ajith Kumar. Along with the latter, Vijay emerged as one of the biggest superstars of the industry. With movies that consistently hit the bullseye, he soon became a box office powerhouse.
