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BREAKING NEWS: Actor-Politician Vijayakanth dies at 71

The former actor who pursued politics in the later years of his career, Narayanan Vijayaraj Alagarswami has succumbed to the complications of pneumonia, passing away peacefully on Thursday in Chennai, at the age of 71. By: Cassia Ling

India lost its Captain Vijayakanth at 71. Actor-politician Vijayakanth, who was fondly called Captain, was a formidable force in the Tamil film industry. On December 28, he died due to pneumonia at a private hospital in Chennai. He was one of the most loved actors and politicians in Tamil Nadu.

His Early Acting Career

He hailed from Madurai and predominantly acted in Tamil films. His movies were dubbed in Telugu and Hindi. He was given the title 'Puratchi Kalingar' (revolutionary artist). Throughout his career, he was popularly known for playing patriotic roles in films.

He made his debut in 1979 with MA Kaja's 'Inikkum Ilamai' and tasted success two years later with SA Chandrasekhar's 'Sattam Oru Iruttarai'. He played the role of a police officer in most films. After playing the lead role in 'Captain Prabhakaran', the 100th film of his career, he earned the title, 'Captain'.

 

The star-studded actor has also taken up roles out of his scope, where he starred as a villain in 1979 on Agal Vilakku. Concomitantly in the same year, he portrayed as the protagonist in Agal Vilakku where he grapples with the power imbalance and goes against the government for its graft. The actor has also raked international acclaim for his do-gooder, police officer and patriotic roles in several other films, which dubbed him as Puratchi Kalingar, commensurating to revolutionary artist.

Prominent films which featured the star includes Sattam Oru Iruttarai, Sivappu Malli, Jadhikkoru Needhi, Amman Kovil Kizhakale, Manakanakku, Oomai Vizhigal, Senthoora Poove, Pulan Visaranai, Sathriyan, Chinna Gounder, and Sethupathi IPS.

During his acting trajectory, he was screened in 154 films, where his departure from acting was after his cameo in his last movie Sagaptham, in which his son had taken up the protagonist role in the film.

As he traversed to the realm of politics, he had mooted a political party Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) in 2005, where the party vied against Tamil Nadu in the state assembly elections in 2006. Albeit attaining a solitary seat, the seat has garnered an impeccable percentage during the vote. Following the 2011 assembly elections, DMDK swept away several seats, establishing itself as the main opposition party of Tamil Nadu, with Vijayakanth spearheading its course. Unfortunately, the opposition party did not prevail in the 2016 assembly elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences in a post on X, saying that his "close friend" Vijayakanth's passing leaves a "void that will be hard to fill”.

Modi wrote on X, "Extremely saddened by the passing away of Thiru Vijayakanth Ji. A legend of the Tamil film world, his charismatic performances captured the hearts of millions. As a political leader, he was deeply committed to public service, leaving a lasting impact on Tamil Nadu’s political landscape.

"His passing leaves a void that will be hard to fill. He was a close friend and I fondly recall my interactions with him over the years. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with his family, fans and numerous followers. Om Shanti."

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