Chennai:
Tamil Nadu's ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has welcomed speculation about actor Dhanush's possible political entry, saying Chief Minister Joseph Vijay's journey from cinema to the Chief Minister's chair has become an inspiration for what it calls political start-ups.
The response comes after Dhanush's fan association was renamed the Dhanush Narpani Iyakkam (Dhanush Welfare Movement) at a meeting in Coimbatore attended by around 3,000 office bearers. Dhanush was not present at the gathering, which focused on discipline, welfare work and social responsibility. The actor has not announced any plans to enter politics.
Speaking to NDTV, TVK spokesperson M Sathya Kumar said the party was happy that its journey could inspire others contemplating a political venture.
"We are happy that TVK is an inspiration for political start-ups," he said, adding that Vijay's political journey had taken decades of groundwork.
"Vijay worked for 30 years for this. It is not easy," Sathya Kumar said, pointing out that while alternative political forces could emerge, their strength and ability to sustain themselves would matter.
The TVK spokesperson said Vijay's approach could become a template for future entrants but cautioned that running a political party and winning elections required full-time commitment.
"Vijay gave up acting at the peak of his career," he said, underlining the scale of the commitment involved.
There are clear parallels between the two actors' organisational moves. Before entering electoral politics, Vijay transformed his fan network into a welfare platform, mobilising supporters for activities such as providing free food, opening libraries and offering legal assistance. The network eventually became part of the organisational foundation for TVK.
Dhanush's fan association has now undergone a similar rebranding, with the Coimbatore meeting bringing together thousands of office-bearers. Former journalist and AIADMK MP Rabi Bernard addressed them on discipline and welfare activities, while an ISRO scientist delivered a motivational speech.
Sathya Kumar said TVK's roots went far beyond its formal launch two years ago. What began as a fan club, he said, had been nurtured by Vijay into a service organisation over 33 years. Some ordinary fan-club members who stood by Vijay during difficult times have now become ministers, he added.
"Replicating Vijay's playbook is not easy," he said.
Dhanush's move has also drawn attention because Tamil Nadu has long seen cinema and politics intersect, with screenwriters and actors rising to the Chief Minister's chair. CN Annadurai and M Karunanidhi, both influential writers and scriptwriters, helped shape Dravidian politics, while film stars MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa went on to become Chief Ministers. But stardom has not guaranteed political success: actors including Sivaji Ganesan, Vijayakanth, Sarathkumar and Kamal Haasan entered politics without reaching the top post. Superstar Rajinikanth opted out. Vijay's electoral victory and elevation to Chief Minister have given a fresh dimension to such speculation.
For now, Dhanush's move remains an organisational change rather than a declared political debut. But with the ruling party itself describing Vijay's journey as an inspiration, the question of whether another major Tamil film star could follow that path has acquired a new political edge.