With his final movie releasing today, fans and voters alike are seeing dual roles collide: the beloved screen icon ‘Thalapathy’ and their sitting Chief Minister doing in governance what he always did best on the silver screen.
Published: July 23, 2026, 1:00 PM IST
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Still of Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay (PC: Twitter)
From M. G. Ramachandran to J. Jayalalithaa and now C. Joseph Vijay, Tamil cinema has historically blurred the boundaries between reel and real politics. C. Joseph Vijay took the oath of office and secrecy as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 10, 2026. Before taking the top post in the state, he ruled the Tollywood in the role of ‘people’s man.’ His characters were not elite figures detached from ordinary struggles, rather Vijay played labourers, teachers, doctors, village youth and socially conscious rebels, basically figures who fought corrupt politicians, corporations and broken institutions.
Thalapathy Vijay’s roles has always been of a people’s man in films like Thamizhan (2002), Kaththi (2014), Mersal (2017), Sarkar (2018) where he took on corruption, legal loopholes, agrarian crisis, electoral fraud. His voice for the voiceless has turned crowd-pleasing movies into bold social critiques.
His venturing into the politics of Tamil Nadu saw venturing of a people’s man on the silver screen to the assembly of Tamil Nadu. Echoing his role as people’s man in the reel world, CM Vijay has brought many ‘for-the-people’ schemes.
Here are the public-welfare schemes
- Perunthalaivar Kamaraj Breakfast Scheme: Formerly the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme, this initiative was renamed after former CM K. Kamaraj. Originally serving primary school students (Classes I–V), Chief Minister Vijay expanded the coverage to include students up to Class VIII.
- Skill Development Scheme: Rebranded to emphasize structured technical training and career development for youth in public and private sectors.
- Mahalir Payanam: Continuing the free bus travel for women while updating the program framework.
- Mathippumigu Mahalir Thittam: Aimed at restructuring the ₹1,000 monthly direct benefit transfer to female heads of households under a revised welfare framework.
- Maternal & Newborn Kits: Distribution of a gold ring and welcome kit for newborn children.
- Marriage Assistance: One sovereign of gold and a silk sari for brides from economically weaker backgrounds.
- Household Support: Provision of free LPG gas cylinders to low-income families.
Beyond launching welfare schemes, Vijay has also enforced strict measures to hold his government’s public representatives accountable. He implemented a strict administrative code of conduct for Ministers and MLAs to ensure transparency and accountability in governance.
With his final movie releasing today, fans and voters alike are seeing dual roles collide: the beloved screen icon ‘Thalapathy’ and their sitting Chief Minister doing in governance what he always did best on the silver screen.
