Rajinikanth didn’t say anything at all. When reporters at Chennai airport asked if Vijay (C Joseph Vijay) becoming Chief Minister deserved a comment, the actor simply smiled, put his hands together in a ‘namaste’, and walked away. Fans who are used to him making witty statements about politics found this was the most important thing.
The airport moment everyone is talking about
A quick video from the airport shows Rajinikanth acknowledging the reporters, but refusing to say anything when they asked about the Chief Minister. He didn’t use any tricks to avoid the question, just a polite greeting and a trip to his car.
This exchange wasn’t long, but it happened only a few days after a huge change in Tamil Nadu politics, and the silence seems planned, not accidental.
From warm wishes to measured distance
Rajinikanth had publicly said congratulations to Vijay when the election results came in on May 4th. He wrote to Vijay, the leader of the winning Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and his party members, praising their big win in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election.
However, he didn’t say anything more than that after Vijay was sworn in. This suggests he has said all he intends to say, and nothing more.
Vijay’s debut that redrew the map
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, running in its first ever Assembly election, completely changed things after the DMK and AIADMK had been in charge for a very long time. TVK won 108 seats and then got 120 of the 234 members of the Legislative Assembly to support them. 118 is the number of members needed for a majority.
Vijay went to see Tamil Nadu Governor RV Arlekar at Lok Bhavan after he had enough support to be in charge. Then, on May 10th at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar officially made Vijay the new Chief Minister.
Cinema to statecraft, and the industry cheers
Because of this victory, Vijay is now considered alongside other actors who became political leaders, like NT Rama Rao, MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa. People in the film industry were celebrating on social media. Sandeep Reddy Vanga wrote, ‘This is what CINEMA can do…Real power’. Lots of others said similar things and called the win a moment in history.
Why Rajinikanth’s quiet lands with weight
It’s well known that Rajinikanth has thought about getting into politics. In 2017 he said he would start a new party that would run in all 234 seats. He stepped away from this after the 2019 Lok Sabha results in Tamil Nadu. Then in December 2020 he completely abandoned his political plans, saying a health problem was ‘a warning from God’.
He later said he would help people in any way he could, but would not be a politician. In 2021 he closed down the Rajini Makkal Mandram. Considering all of this, his smile at the airport on May 12th seems to show he’ll continue to be a famous person and a citizen, but not a politician.
Here are the key points, stripped to essentials:
– Vijay took oath on May 10th in Chennai
– TVK won 108 seats in its debut
– Support stands at 120 MLAs in a 234-member House
– Majority mark in Tamil Nadu is 118
– Rajinikanth offered congratulations on May 4th
– He declined further comment on May 12th
The stakes for Tamil Nadu’s new script
The success of TVK isn’t just about a famous actor becoming a politician; it’s about an organization quickly getting results. Getting 108 seats and then quickly gaining support from 120 members of the Legislative Assembly shows they are disciplined and gaining strength, even though many people thought of them as a new, inexperienced party.
It also means that the way people talk about power in the state needs to change. Vijay’s arrival is both a beginning and a pattern for the future, and comes with a lot of promise…and a lot of pressure to be very successful, very quickly.
Rajinikanth’s next act stays on screen
As for his movies, Rajinikanth was most recently in Coolie. He’ll next be in Jailer 2 and a film with Kamal Haasan. By saying very little about politics, he’s letting his films do the talking.
Jailer 2 is a comedy action film and a continuation of Nelson’s very popular 2023 film Jailer. Rajinikanth is again playing ‘Tiger’ Muthuvel Pandian, and Ramya is playing his wife, Vijaya ‘Viji’ Pandian. Jailer was about Tiger being forced to come out of retirement when his family’s safety is at risk and his son disappears while the police are investigating smuggling.
What comes next
Now Vijay’s government will be assessed on what it does, not just on how exciting it is. Rajinikanth, though, seems happy to get applause at the cinema and keep his opinions to himself. For Tamil Nadu, this difference could be the new way things are: a Chief Minister who came from being a favourite of fans, and a superstar who likes to stay out of the spotlight.
