[vvivek85]

I know it is a bit late, actor turned politician Thiru Vijaykanth (Fondly called as Captain) passed away yesterday due to corona. Though I have my own disagreements with some of his actions, he will surely have a special place in the heart of Tamil people. For decades in Tamil Nadu we had only 2 prominent parties, he came up with a party and won his first election in 2006 and became a MLA, later in 2011 he joined hands with ADMK and won 26 out of 40 contested seats and claimed opposition status. At one point in time, he was looked as a serious contender to make it big in TN politics, unfortunately he fell ill few years back and since then he couldn’t bounce back. His last rites are happening in his party head office near Koyambedu. RIP Captain, you will be missed.

[motorworks]

Vijayakanth did what Kamal hassan and Rajini could not do! He almost single handedly took the fight to Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha! However, he could not sustain that momentum. It possibly boiled down to the kind of senior political leaders he had in his party.

People in the Tamil movie industry speak very highly of Vijayakanth’s generous nature and his leadership abilities. And he had a tremendous fan following in Tamilnadu, almost as much as Rajini and Kamal, in fact his fan following in the rural belt in the early 90’s was much bigger than the other two stars.

But he did not adapt to the changing world during the 2000’s. His movies were outdated, almost became troll materials. His political career too did not materialise the way it should have, considering how he actually gained traction in the inital phase. He could not get out of that “alcoholic” image that media and his political rivals portrayed him to be. And to make it worse, his physical condition worsened year after year and he has been out of action for many years now.

Going by what many film industry folks say, Vijayakanth was a great human being, he apparently helped and supported many people in the industry.

[Cliff9091]

Vijayakanth had a great fan following in heartland TN, unfortunately due to health issues he was out of public eye ever since the pandemic.

He was much more than the "meme" and "alcholic" image shown to us by social media and youtube. In the 90s when Thalapathy Vijay was going through a rough patch in his career, it was Vijayakanth who infamously did a role in Vijay's film for free. Vijay also acknowledged it in one of his most recent speeches.

A good man, RIP Captain

[deathwalkr]

Always liked his movies. For fun or for action, he came across as having a great screen presence.

Was happy when he became leader of opposition and his dialogue against Jayalalitha in the assembly was reel to real greatness!

In a state where movie stars easily move onto politics he was a good fit wanting to do good but ultimately after a brief flicker, faded away.

[HappyWheels]

A great human who was not able to capitalize his mass following.

Him coming to public meetings fully drunk did not help him at all and became fodder for those opposing him, especially one of his peers.

All said and done, RIP, Captain!

[Venkatesh]

Amul Tribute to the much loved Tamilian actor/politician.

[Raghu M]

The biggest cult movie during those years was Captain Prabhakaran. I was very young and saw the movie after a few years of release. That gave him cult status, I guess his political plunge was where the beginning of the end started. Though he is generally told to be a very good man, his behaviour in rallies and road shows brought his popularity down. I have seen some of his old songs recently, his dancing skills are pretty good too. Had the ability to become the third force in TN but alas. Rest in peace sir.

[srini1785]

RIP Captain. Chinna Gounder, Pulanvisaranai, Amman Kovil Kizhakkaale were good examples of what he could have done if he remained in films alone. He never hid his political ambitions even during his early years.

He tried to paint himself as the new age MGR and by all accounts had the natural mindset to be one. However, his political shrewdness had shortcomings as his best electoral performance was thanks to his association with the bigger Dravidian party. Once that association faded away, his party's true strength began to show.

One more frivolous issue raised by self-proclaimed fanatics was that he was not a Tamilian at all and was a Telugu. For someone who was born in the heart of heartlands (Madurai) and spoke fluent (colloquial) Tamil, this was a meme not on him but on those who tried to paint him as one.

Originally Posted by motorworks

He could not get out of that “alcoholic” image that media and his political rivals portrayed him to be

Originally Posted by Cliff9091

He was much more than the "meme" and "alcholic" image shown to us by social media and Youtube

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

Him coming to public meetings fully drunk did not help him at all and became fodder for those opposing him, especially one of his peers

Show me one film star or politician who is not a "Alcoholic" and i will show you paradise. He just was an extreme example.

[Ananthang]

Had he not come into politics, stress would have been less and he could have made into high 70s.

RIP Vijaykanth sir.

Also people of TN did not give an opportunity anyone other prominent two. He tried contesting twice independently and lost. The stakes and money are high put a lot of stress on him.