South’s superstar Joseph Vijay has entered politics.
Like the bumper opening of any of his superhit films, today Friday has also proved to be a blockbuster for his fans.
Joseph Vijay’s fans lovingly call him Thalapathy Vijay. Vijay has announced his party ‘Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam’ a few months before the Lok Sabha elections, but he announced that his party will make its debut in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Talking about the politics of South, the entry of any superstar here is not a new thing. Even before Vijay, many superstars tried their hand in South Indian politics.
From NTR to Rajinikanth and from Jayalalitha to Kamal Haasan, there are many names who tried their luck in politics.
Now it is actor Vijay’s turn. It remains to be seen whether the public will also support him like his fans. Before this, let us take a look at those superstars who have entered the politics of South…
MG Ramachandran ‘MGR’ (Tamil Nadu)
MG Ramachandran i.e. MGR has always been one of the powerful leaders in South Indian politics. In 1962, MGR took a political step and joined Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), a party founded by CN Annadurai. He came into politics on the advice of his friend M Karunanidhi.
However, differences arose between MGR and Karunanidhi which led to MGR’s ouster from the DMK.
The actor-turned-politician founded the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in 1972. MGR became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 1977. MGR held the post of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu twice. He died in the year 1987.
NT Rama Rao ‘NTR’ (Andhra Pradesh)
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao aka NTR was a Telugu megastar known for playing the role of a deity on the silver screen.
In his acting career, NTR acted in more than 300 films. The Telugu actor joined politics in 1982 and founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). He later served as the Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh for three terms.
Jayalalitha (Tamil Nadu)
Jayalalitha, popularly known as ‘Thalaivi’ or ‘Amma’, is known for her successful tenure in Tamil Nadu politics.
The politics of Tamil Nadu was dominated by men for a long time, which Jayalalitha worked to break. Inducted into films by her mentor MG Ramachandran, Jayalalitha acted in more than 140 films.
Like cinema, it was MGR who brought Jayalalitha into politics. After joining AIADMK in 1982, Jayalalitha emerged victorious in the power struggle within the party following the demise of MGR in 1987.
Jayalalitha served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for six terms until her death in 2016.
Pawan Kalyan (Andhra Pradesh)
Pawan Kalyan, a popular actor from South India, started acting in films in 1996. He has acted in films like Gabbar Singh, Vakeel Saab, Puli, Balu, Suswagatam etc.
In 2008 he entered politics as the youth wing president of Praja Rajyam, a party formed by his superstar brother Chiranjeevi. In 2014, Pawan formed Janasena Party.
Suresh Gopi (Kerala)
Popular Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi became Rajya Sabha MP and joined BJP. In 2019 he contested the Lok Sabha elections from Thrissur constituency as a BJP candidate.
He has acted in films like Garudan, Jasoos, Bharatchandran IPS, Janakan, Rashtram, The Address etc. He also has a national award in his name.
Kamal Haasan (Tamil Nadu)
South Indian superstar actor Kamal Haasan formed his political party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) in 2018. Haasan has also worked in Bollywood films.
In his brilliant acting career, he has done films like Vishwaroopam, Satya, Chachi 420, Mahanadi, Vikram, Indian etc. In 1987 he won the National Award for Best Actor for the film Nayakan.
Chiranjeevi (Andhra Pradesh)
Actor Chiranjeevi formed Praja Rajyam, a political party in Andhra Pradesh in 2008. He later became a member of the Indian National Congress and merged his party with it. He has served as Minister of State with Independent Charge of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. He has acted in films like Godfather, Daddy, Master, Shankar Dada Zindabad etc.
Rajinikanth (Tamil Nadu)
Superstar actor Rajinikanth joined politics in 2017. He formed his own political party Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) but his political journey did not last long.
In 2021 he dissolved the party. After this he resigned from politics. Rajinikanth has acted in over a hundred films in the Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and Malayalam film industries.
Baasha, Sivaji: The Boss, Kaala, Chandramukhi, Andha Kanoon, Enthiran, Lingaa and Jailer are some of his popular films.