Tamil actor-politician Vijayakanth passes away at 71

Chennai: Vijayakanth, who carved a niche for himself in Tamil cinema by donning roles that struck a chord with the masses especially the working class at a time the now legendary Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth were ruling the tinsel town before making the political plunge, passed away here on Thursday.

‘Captain’ Vijayakanth, who was 71, breathed his last at 6.10 am and is survived by his wife Premalatha, who now runs the DMDK, and two sons -- Vijaya Prabhakaran and Shanmuga Pandian.

The founder of Desiya Dravida Murpokku Kazhagam (DMDK), which once challenged the Dravidian majors DMK and AIADMK with impressive vote percentage in the first few elections, was keeping unwell for the past few years.

Vijayakanth, who returned home after a long stay at MIOT hospital just a fortnight ago, was rushed to the facility in Chennai on December 26 for pneumonia and was put on ventilator support.

“Despite the best efforts of medical staff, he passed away in the morning on 28 December 2023,” the hospital said in a statement. Vijayakanth’s mortal remains was first taken to his residence in Saligramam and then moved to his party office in Koyambedu on Thursday where thousands of teary-eyed men and women bid adieu to their hero who is known for his compassion.

The mortal remains will be kept at the Island Grounds from 6 am to 1 pm on Friday for public viewing after which it will again be brought to the party office for cremation at 4.45 pm with full state honours. Chief Minister M K Stalin, his cabinet colleagues, political leaders, film stars, film directors and producers made a beeline to pay their last respects to Vijayakanth.

Condolences too poured in for Vijayakanth from across the country with film stars in all southern states taking to social media to recall their association with the departed actor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who termed Vijayakanth as a legend of the Tamil film world, recalled his charismatic performances that captured the hearts of millions, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said his contributions to cinema and politics have left an indelible mark on the hearts of millions.

An action icon, Vijayakanth loved playing the role of a police officer who hunted down not just local criminals but also hard core terrorists in his own inimitable style. He earned a special place in the hearts of women for the doting son, brother, and husband roles he essayed in about 25 years of his film career.

He acted in over 150 films and is known to have helped his colleagues and peers, may of who

A person who was known to have a “golden heart”, Vijayakanth followed the legendary M G Ramachandran, his senior in the tinsel town, in every possible way by being generous in serving the same food that he ate for the entire film crew, and always helping the needy.

His speeches on the simpleness of life and how “money doesn’t matter” are still the favourites for many on YouTube and other social media platforms.

Vijayakanth is the only actor in Tamil Nadu, where politics and the film industry has an intricate connection, to have displayed the rare guts to challenge the supremacy of Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa by launching his own party when they were super-active in politics.

An unconventional politician, Vijayakanth, at one point, was considered as a viable alternative to the Dravidian majors – DMK and AIADMK. A series of mistakes and his failing health sunk the party whose vote percentage came down to 0.45 per cent from 10.3 per cent in just about 12 years.

“People who were fatigued by the Dravidian parties welcomed Vijayakanth with open arms as he promised change. This was amply demonstrated in his first outing at the husting which gave a jolt to the AIADMK. He had age and robust health on his side but his political career ended tragically,” senior journalist R Bhagwan Singh told DH.