Kamal, Madhavan, Vishal lead cinema's wishes for CM Vijay

The hours after Vijay’s oath at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Sunday morning turned into a near-continuous stream of cinema-figure congratulations across X, Instagram and television studios, an unusually pan-Indian roll call for a Tamil Nadu chief-ministerial swearing-in. The notes ranged from family affection to policy memo, and one of them came with a specific civic request bolted on.

Kamal Haasan posted on X first, addressing Vijay as ‘younger brother’ and tagging the new chief minister’s TVK handle. “May Tamil Nadu prosper under the leadership of the President of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, the Honorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, younger brother Mr Vijay. May the state reach new heights. I convey my heartfelt wishes,” the Makkal Needhi Maiam chief and Rajya Sabha MP wrote. R Madhavan, less common a sight on Tamil-political feeds, went to Instagram with a portrait of Vijay and a caption that read: “All the very very best my Dear Brother. May your tenure as the Chief Minister be the most rewarding and impactful one for our State. So proud of you brother.”

Simran, Vijay’s co-star in Priyamanavale and Thullatha Manamum Thullum from a quarter-century back, called Sunday “the beginning of a powerful new era.” Composer Santhosh Narayanan tempered the celebration with a marathon-length view: “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to explore new ideas and beginnings for our beautiful state. We have a huge road ahead. Kalakunga Thalapathy.” Director Pandiraj’s note picked the tightest editorial frame of any. “Let every decision you take wipe the tears from the marginalised. The hands that broke box-office records, may they now break records in raising people’s quality of life.”

Vivek Oberoi went the most cinematic of the lot, leaning on a Vijay catchphrase: “My brother Vijay, they said it was impossible. They mocked it as fan noise. But look at you now. Enna nanba, sollidi adichom illa! You took those words from the screen and turned them into history. The roar is real. This victory is historic, the future belongs to you. Proud of you, CM Vijay.”

The cinema notes were not all garlands. Vishal, who has spent the past month publicly questioning the Governor’s go-slow on swearing Vijay in, took the warmth of Sunday morning and parked a civic ask in the middle of it.

“Dear CM Vijay sir, proud to add sir to the person I know for the last 32 years,” Vishal wrote, before pivoting: “As a voter, would like to see you taking stock of the lady/woman constables who stand in the heat unnecessarily when a CM leaves his/her house to go to the secretariat. Request you to provide them mobile toilets.” Prakash Raj, who has spent the same period sceptical of TVK’s governance bandwidth, kept his note straight. “Congratulations to Chief Minister Vijay. Wishing you the best to succeed in your new responsibility. May the state thrive in your governance too.”

Karuppu director RJ Balaji used the morning to mark the end of his own week-long campaign hold. He had paused the Suriya film’s promotion until the political dust settled, and on Sunday he flipped the switch. The trailer was set for 7 pm, with advance bookings opening at the same time.

The crowd inside the stadium had its own cinema layer. Trisha Krishnan walked in in pastel blue silk and told reporters she was “looking forward.” Actor Jai bailed out of his car when traffic froze near the venue and ran the last stretch on foot, telling reporters at the gate: “I am indebted to Vijay Anna for my position in cinema today. The opportunity he gave me is why I exist in films.” Producer Venkat Narayana, who is sitting on the still-uncertified Jana Nayagan, attended too, and pointed to the title’s new metaphor: “Now he has become Tamil Nadu’s Jananayagan.”

Outside the venue, the wave was just as loud. Samuthirakani’s long-form video message, picked up across Tamil TV and X, addressed Vijay as “my dear brother” and warned him gently. “These obstacles are nothing, brother. Many more challenges and problems will come every day. I pray to God that you overcome all of them and continue to do good things.” From Telugu cinema, Pawan Kalyan, in his other capacity as Andhra deputy CM, said he believed “the new government will fulfil people’s aspirations.” A R Murugadoss called it “a new era,” Karthik Subbaraj kept it short with “heartfelt congratulations to CM Vijay and his team,” and Prabhu Deva, Roja, Arun Vijay, Raghava Lawrence and Parthiban followed in the same beat. Sriman, who has been at Vijay’s shoulder through nearly the entire TVK arc, summed up the mood from the venue itself: “Sky is the limit. I have no words beyond that to express my joy. My love for him will last till the ocean dries up.”