Actor Vijay’s much-expected announcement of his political entry has prompted debates on where he would land and whose space he is going to take over in Tamil political landscape that is crowded with a wide variety of ideologically diverse players: the Naam Tamilar Katchi, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Pattali Makkal Katchi, the Makkal Needhi Maiam, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and, of course, the two major Dravidian parties.
Like all actors with a mass following, Mr. Vijay’s choices of characters in his films have been carefully crafted. His huge fan following is the result of the actor playing characters from poorer sections of society. The case in point is the song in Pokkiri, in which he says ‘Theepandham eduthu, theendamai koluthu [burn untouchability with a fire torch]’. This is why some political observers think his young fans, from poorer sections, will support him politically in large numbers.
