Why is Vijay suddenly everyone’s favourite?

It is hard to believe that just a few days ago Vijay’s future seemed uncertain, if not entirely bleak. Controversies seemed to mar his political ambitions, with a messy divorce compounded by an outed love affair. Experts had said that Vijay’s career not only as a politician, but also as an actor seemed endangered.

On September 27, 2025, a fatal stampede occurred at a campaign rally for actor-turned-politician Vijay in Karur, Tamil Nadu, killing at least 40-41 people and injuring over 100 others. After this incident, all of Vijay’s colleagues fell silent. There were no comments in support as Vijay went from crisis to crisis.

But now, after his roaring triumph, Vijay’s colleagues have reached out in full strength.

“It is the way of the world. The minute we feel a failure, we recoil. But the minute we smell a success, we embrace it. Right now Vijay is the man of the moment. Everyone wants to be his friend,” says filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

Ram Gopal Varma said, “Until last week, everyone thought Vijay was on very sticky wicket. But the very factors that seemed to go against him, finally helped him win. His honesty about his life, really connected with the voters. It is astonishing what Vijay has done. To make this impossible leap from acting to politics! The last time an actor in Tamil Nadu made such an impact in politics was when MGR was voted into power. Remarkably no one saw this coming. Most of the people in the Tamil-Telugu film industry I spoke to before the elections felt Vijay was going to lose even his deposit. He proved all of them wrong.”

Veteran actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha said, “Vijay means victory. And Vijay has done it! Hats off to that young man for doing what no other contemporary actor has done. He will bring a radical change in Tamil Nadu’s politics. As for his colleagues being silent before the elections, I am sure they did not want to offend the ruling party. Even now, some of the actors are sitting on the fence, thinking Stalin may bounce back. As an actor-politician myself, I can tell Vijay it is hard road ahead. But he will be as successful as a politician as he is as an actor.”

Aamir Khan adds, “He has proved all the cynics and naysayers wrong. Of course everyone would want a share of him now. It’s the way human nature is wired.”