On Friday, Tamil star Vijay revealed the name of his political party, ‘Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’. Reflecting on former South Indian celebrities who also founded their political parties.
Making a shift from the silver screen to politics. Taking advantage of the affection they won over from fans by portraying larger-than-life personalities who change into votes—this seems like a well-known tale in southern India. Actor Vijay from Tamil Nadu stated on Friday that he is starting a political party called ‘Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’ with the goal of “bringing about the change that people want,” following in the footsteps of MGR in Tamil Nadu and NT Rama Rao in Andhra Pradesh. A few well-known South Indian celebrities who entered politics are shown here.
Rajinikanth
In the early 1990s, Rajinikanth was an ardent supporter of both the Tamil Manila Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Even though it was assumed that he would run for office at the time, he decided against it. Only in 2017 did he declare his intention to enter politics, founding the ‘Rajini Makkal Mandram’ in Tamil Nadu. In 2021, he declared that he no longer wished to be a politician and disbanded it.
Kamal Haasan
In Tamil Nadu, Kamal Haasan Kamal founded the ‘Makkal Needhi Maiam’ in 2018. From the late President AP J Abdul Kalam’s house and monument in Rameswaram, he started his political career.
Except for the legislative assembly election, which his party ran in and lost, Kamal’s political party is still operational in 2019. The party ran for 37 seats in the general election.
Chiranjeevi
In the then-unified Andhra Pradesh, Chiranjeevi announced the formation of the ‘Praja Rajyam Party’ in 2008. His party took up 18 of the 294 seats in the legislature the next year.
When Chiranjeevi combined his party with the Indian National Congress in 2011, it stunned everyone. 2012 saw his swearing-in as a member of the Rajya Sabha. He avoided politics following the breakup of AP in 2014, and he left the position in 2018.
Pawan Kalyan
Even before his brother Chiranjeevi stepped away from politics, Pawan Kalyan announced the ‘Jana Sena Party in 2014 in both AP and Telangana.
With his other brother Naga Babu as the general secretary, Pawan supported the BJP and TDP instead of Congress, unlike Chiranjeevi. The party failed to win seats in 2019. Years later, in 2024, Pawan continues to support the parties he initially did.
Upendra
In 2018, Upendra announced the ‘Uttama Prajaakeeya Party’ in Karnataka.
While Upendra himself has refrained from contesting for seats, he had candidates across numerous constituencies in Karnataka during the 2019 elections. He announced that his party would be for the rights of the daily wage workers, and one of his candidates even won the elections in Arehalli village.