You could say Ram Charan has put a fine point on the current mood in Tamil Nadu. He was on hand at a Peddi function to tip his hat to C Joseph Vijay for trading in his megastardom for something of public import. In his view, it’s a rite of passage for an entertainer to become a leader, and he lauded the locals for seeing it through.
A star salutes a new CM
Up on stage, Charan let the audience in on what he thought: it takes a certain kind of bravery to walk away from a first-rate job and put your name to one of governance. ‘You have left your stardom and career at your peak to come into public service,’ he said, and you could tell he meant it.
‘I’m very very proud as a film person, and I do want to congratulate the Tamil Nadu people and Vijay sir,’ he went on. He was all put together for the occasion in a powder blue suit, white shirt and brown shoes, with a bun and some shades to top it off.
Why Vijay’s move hits different
It wasn’t a sudden decision. Back in December, Vijay made it known he was done with acting to lead the charge for the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, or TVK. Then on May 10, he was in the chair as Chief Minister.
In a way, he’s in the company of the greats from down South like N. T. Rama Rao, M. G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa. Charan made sure to get the word out on X as well: ‘Hearty congratulations to @actorvijay Garu on a remarkable victory in the TN elections… Wishing you great success in leading Tamil Nadu towards continued progress (sic).’
Here are the crowd-pulling takeaways from this crossover moment:
– Vijay quit films in December last year
– He took oath as CM on May 10th
– TVK upset DMK and AIADMK
– Charan cheered him on stage and on X
The election math that changed the script
Put aside the pageantry and the figures are what will have you talking. In its first go at an Assembly, TVK put up 108 wins. Add in the 120 MLAs they have in the 234-member House and they’re well clear of the 118 needed to call the shots.
It’s a new story for a state that was always about the DMK and AIADMK. The outcome has put some teeth to the notion that if you have the organisation and the vision, you can turn a fan base into a legislative force.
Charan’s own spotlight with Peddi
All of this comes as Charan is in town to put some faces on Peddi, his next Telugu sports film. He told us in an interview he was lucky to be in the shoes of someone who doesn’t usually get a voice, and in India, you need to be there for them.
But it was no easy ride. A wrestling scene had him with a bad wrist just a few days before they were due to shoot. ‘It was one tear, but now it’s seven tears because of the 20 days of shoot. I just had to get through the film and wanted it to come on June 4,’ he says.
Buchhi Babu Sana is behind the camera, and you’ll see Janhvi Kapoor, Boman Irani and Divyenndu in it too. It opens on June 4. For Charan, it was a project that made him better at what he does, and for that he’s content.
What to watch next
Vijay’s fans have a new show to follow. We don’t have a date for his last movie, Jana Nayagan, yet, but the one in the halls of power in Chennai has already made its bow. Like Charan’s tribute would have you believe, we’ll be around to see how it all plays out.
