Rajini, Kamal and Rahman Salute Vijay's Win; Ajith Phones In

The cinema reactions to Vijay’s TVK win came in two distinct waves on May 4. The first batch through the afternoon, while the count was still live, was largely Bollywood and Telugu — Tiger Shroff, Nani, Sharwanand, plus the Tamil cluster of directors and composers Vijay has worked with. The second wave, after the result hardened into a single-largest-party number through the evening and overnight, brought the names that had stayed off the timeline until the math was done. Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, AR Rahman, Suriya, Chiranjeevi, Mahesh Babu and Hema Malini all posted. Ajith Kumar didn’t post — he called Vijay directly.

That last detail, reported by Cinema Express, is the one worth dwelling on. Ajith and Vijay are the cleanest box-office rivalry the Tamil industry has produced in three decades, with their fan bases having effectively organised the calendar around when each of them releases. They have shared the screen exactly once — Rajavin Parvaiyile in 1995, before either was a star. A private call between the two of them on the day Vijay’s party crosses 100 seats is more freighted than any public post would have been, which is presumably why it was the form Ajith chose.

Rajinikanth’s note arrived in the evening on his X handle, in both English and Tamil.

Kamal Haasan, who runs his own party in Makkal Needhi Maiam and contested in alliance with the DMK this time, congratulated Vijay later in the night. ANI quoted him as saying Vijay had earned the people’s trust and achieved a great victory — a striking line from a leader whose alliance was on the receiving end of the very wave he was acknowledging.

AR Rahman’s post, in Tamil, is the one most likely to age into the mood-board for the new government’s framing. He wrote: “Heartfelt congratulations to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. To our dear Mr Vijay, wishing you to rise and flourish as an exemplary leader who will take Tamil Nadu to the forefront, championing corruption-free politics, social justice and equality. With a political culture that rejects divisions and celebrates Tamil and Tamils, may your endeavour to transform Chennai into a city brimming with art and prosperity shine brightly.” It is the closest to a manifesto-tone wish among the lot.

Suriya’s post, also in Tamil, leaned on the friendship rather than the politics. “Receiving the love and support of the people is a blessing. Tamil Nadu has placed great trust in my friend Vijay. Heartfelt wishes to him as he opens a new chapter in Tamil Nadu politics.”

Suriya’s Karuppu opens opposite Trisha on May 14, ten days from now — a release window that now lands inside whatever government-formation cycle plays out, and into a Tamil Nadu that has just voted for a third option for the first time in five decades.

From the Telugu industry, Mahesh Babu and Chiranjeevi both came in.

Chiranjeevi posted: “Dear @actorvijay, hearty congratulations on this outstanding and well-deserved victory in your first election. May you continue to inspire, lead, and serve with unwavering passion and purpose. My best wishes to you for your public service to the state of Tamil Nadu and its people.”

Hema Malini’s note from Bollywood made the rounds early in the evening.

The director and producer cluster filled in around them. AR Murugadoss, who made Thuppakki and Kaththi with Vijay, posted what was effectively a victory note from the filmography.

Kajal Aggarwal, his Mersal and Thuppakki co-star, kept hers short and warm.

Aishwarya Lekshmi, speaking in Tirunelveli the day before counting, had pre-empted the wave — telling reporters she would have voted for Vijay if Kerala registration didn’t put it out of reach. That clip has done a second round on Tamil social media this morning, with the visual of her saying it landing very differently against the actual result than it did when it was shot.

The Cinema Express tally that ran through Monday afternoon also names Vikram, Ravi Mohan, Jiiva and Sriman among the early posters. Sriman’s contribution — “Makkal theerpe Mahesan theerpu,” the people’s verdict is god’s verdict — became the most-shared single-line tribute of the day, picked up across both Cinema Express and Deccan Herald.

Y G Mahendra, in a Dinamalar interview, took the analytical route — laying out how a debutant party with no organisational depth in many districts had still translated the Vijay rally crowds into Vijay vote shares constituency by constituency. That conversation is the one likely to dominate the political-press cycle through the week, alongside the actual government-formation question that Vishal flagged on Monday afternoon — the role the Governor will play in the next 48 hours. The pan-India lens has already overshot, with one director floating that Vijay should have been written as Prime Minister in his next film before counting day.

Trisha was at Vijay’s Panaiyur house by mid-afternoon. The cinema column has caught up to where the political column already was.