Kollywood superstar and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) founder Vijayakanth passed away at a private hospital in Chennai on Thursday after prolonged illness. He was 71. Vijayakanth is succeeded by his wife Premalatha and his two sons.
Vijayakanth was hospitalised with pneumonia on Tuesday, according to a medical bulletin from MIOT Hospital in Chennai. The actor-politician had been unwell for more than a year and was treated abroad before the 2021 general elections. But his health deteriorated, and he has been undergoing treatment for the past few months. On December 14, Vijayakanth made his public appearance in a wheelchair, during the party’s annual general meeting, only to hand over the baton to his wife Premalatha. She was elected as the party chief during the meeting.
A popular film star and political icon, Vijayakanth’s death marks the end of an era of Tamil actors proving to be successful in politics. In a state where cinema and politics are strange bedfellows, Vijayakanth's was a rocky road both in the film industry and in politics. Fondly called 'Captain' and Karuppu MGR', Vijayakanth launched DMDK in 2005 in Madurai as an alternative to both Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), at a time when both J. Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi were at the helm of affairs, respectively. The launch of DMDK in Madurai drew a huge crowd in 2005, making him look like the dark horse of Tamil Nadu politics then. Vijayakanth’s emergence in Tamil Nadu politics suggested that there was space for an alternative force other than the DMK and the AIADMK.
Born in Madurai as Narayanan Vijayaraj Alagarswami on August 25, 1952, Vijayakanth debuted in Kollywood with Inikkum Ilamai in 1979. With Doorathu Idi Muzhakkam in 1980 and Sattam Oru Iruttarai in 1981, he managed to make a mark in the Tamil movie industry. His rugged looks, Madurai slang, and the strong characters he played in these films were well-received by the audience and earned him a fan following in the early 80s. A string of super hit films, including Oomai Vizhigal, Pulan Visaranai, Chatriyan, Chinna Gounder, Honest Raj, Vanathai Pola made him a star in the industry, parallel to Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan.
In 1991, his character as 'Captain Prabhakaran' in the eponymous movie earned him the moniker ‘Captain’. The 2002 movie Ramanaa, in which he spoke strongly against corruption, raised the expectations among his fans that he would take the political plunge. The actor was also the president of the actors' association 'Nadir Sangam'.
Vijayakanth’s political journey
Vijayakanth’s strong opposition to the DMK when a portion of a marriage hall owned by him was demolished in 2007 for road expansion and his decision to ally with the AIADMK in 2011 helped him climb the ladder of success in politics. This success, however, didn't last long as in 2012, he had a public spat with Jayalalithaa in the Tamil Nadu assembly. It was a fiery exchange between Jayalalithaa who was the CM then, and Vijayakanth who was the leader of opposition, as the latter claimed in the house that AIADMK was elected to power only because it aligned with his DMDK.
Jayalalithaa disagreed and said, “AIADMK doesn’t need the support of anyone to win an election in Tamil Nadu.” She challenged Vijayakanth to win in the Sankarankoil byelection. However, after the verbal spat, Vijayakanth’s DMDK saw a split in the assembly. Eight MLAs from his party, including Vijayakanth’s friend actor-politician Arun Pandian and former minister K. Pandiarajan, rebelled against him and joined AIADMK.
Vijayakanth’s vote bank saw a steady fall in the next general election in 2014. In the 2019 elections, the BJP roped Vijayakanth into the NDA, and later in 2021, DMDK chose to contest alone. From winning a single seat in 2006, just a year after the launch of the party to securing 29 seats in 2011 elections and being in the opposition, his party slowly lost relevance. From 21 per cent in 2011, DMDK’s vote share came down to 5.1 percent, and went down further to three per cent in the 2016 assembly polls when his party aligned with the Left parties, Thol Thirumavalavan’s VCK and Vaiko’s MDMK. As his health began failing, his wife Premalatha became the face of the party.
And now after Vijayakanth, though Premalatha has been elected as the general secretary of the party, DMDK’s future hangs in balance with just over 2 per cent vote share.