“For the fans who gave up everything for me, I’m giving up cinema itself.” These words of Tamil superstar Vijay – fondly known as ‘Thalapathy’ to his fans – rang through Malaysia’s packed Bukit Jalil Stadium a week ago, during the recent audio launch of Jana Nayagan.
The release of any Vijay film is special in Tamil Nadu, thanks to his popularity. But Jana Nayagan, set to hit screens soon, is extra special — with this swansong, the star is bidding goodbye to films after plunging full-time into politics with his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
For millions of Vijay fans across the globe, this release marks the climax of a rollercoaster of emotions. “Only after I heard him speak at the audio launch, and the umpteen fan edits that followed, did it hit me that we will no longer have such celebrations at the theatres,” says an emotional Vicky Vijay, a Salem-based auditor and ardent fan of the actor.
Vijay in stills from ‘Jana Nayagan’
Path to glory
In 2026, Vijay is looking at new beginnings in a new arena.
In the 1980s and 90s, the once scrawny and self-effacing actor made a quiet entry into a power-packed Tamil film industry, ruled by the likes of Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. Vijay had backing — he was the son of popular director SA Chandrasekhar — but his choice of roles, screen presence and penchant for action and dance was what quickly made him a force to reckon with.
With 2003’s Thirumalai, the romance-drama hero in Vijay made a career-defining turn towards the action entertainer genre, which reached its peak with 2004’s Ghilli, a marquee film that would sow the seeds of superstardom, 2005’s Thirupaachi, and 2007’s Pokkiri. How 2012’s Thuppakkilit the box office on fire was an early sign of what was to follow — ‘Ilayathalapathy’ became ‘Thalapathy’ — a frenzy fuelled by his neck-and-neck competition with Ajith Kumar. Along with the latter, Vijay emerged as one of the biggest superstars of the industry. With movies that consistently hit the bullseye, he soon became a box office powerhouse.
No other superstar in Tamil enjoys the kind of youth following that Vijay has amassed over the decades. In his boy-next-door charm, millions of Tamil youth saw themselves — every classroom has a child who has emulated Vijay’s kerchief-flipping demeanour, ‘punch’ dialogues, and costumes. He became a messiah of middle-class youth, motivating them with songs, dialogues and his famous ‘Kutty Stories’ at audio launches, urging them to walk with their heads held high.
“We will miss him on the big screen,” Archana Kalpathi said during the release of The Greatest of All Time, Vijay’s previous film. Archana has had multiple links with Vijay’s work over the years; first as a fan, which she became after watching Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997) in school. Then, as a theatre owner — Archana is the CEO of AGS Cinemas, a leading multiplex chain — and a producer, having bankrolled projects like Bigil and GOAT. “From an exhibitor’s point of view, his film is one tentpole release in a year that helps us tide over three bad months at the box office. His one film has a guaranteed opening and collection. The revenue that we get from his film is what we use to deal with our slower months. It will be a big vacuum, and it will be hard to fill,” she says.
These are indeed big shoes to fill. Srither S, secretary, Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association, distributor and exhibitor, says that there will be a great loss in revenue. “In the last six years, except for 2025,” — only the second calendar year since 1992 to not see a Vijay film — “Vijay has had at least one film every year. And on average, his film would account for 20-23% of the total gross revenue from theatres that year. So his retirement is definitely a huge loss for distributors and exhibitors.”
“If we felt his absence in a year like 2025, then imagine how great a loss his retirement would cause,” says Vishnu Kamal, owner of Kamala Cinemas in Vadapalani. “It’s a huge loss; in a year like 2023, we had two Vijay films (Varisuand Leo) among the top five highest-grossing films. In 2024, again, GOAT took the top spot, and as far as Kamala Cinemas is concerned, the re-release of Ghillicame second, thanks to tremendous footfalls. So he’s a major contributor,” adds Vishnu, stating that a prime reason for this is that audiences from all age groups come to theatres to watch a Vijay film.
He stresses that theatre owners will miss a “symbol of hope,” recollecting how the star’s 2021 film Master— one of the first big-ticket releases during the pandemic, with a cap on 50% theatre occupancy — helped theatre owners recover from the brutal months. “I can say this confidently — the decision to release Master in theatres revived Tamil cinema after the COVID-19 pandemic. And for that, theatre owners will be eternally grateful to him and the team of Master. Because people were scared to step out, and because OTT was on the rise, they were just getting accustomed to watching films in what they thought was a much safer environment. It was Master that brought audiences back to theatres.”
The GOAT entertainer bids goodbye
Beyond business, what Tamil cinema would truly miss is a performer who could dance like a charm and perform action sequences with grace and conviction. This ‘complete entertainer’ is what Vicky says he would miss on screen. “Sure, we have Sivakarthikeyan slowly following up on those footsteps, but today, Vijay is the only entertainer who ticks all boxes,” he says.
Vijay in a still from ‘Jana Nayagan’
It is interesting that this die-hard fan mentions Sivakarthikeyan. The star, whose Parasakthiclashes with Jana Nayagan at the box office this Pongal, is widely believed to be Vijay’s ‘successor’. This buzz gained ground after Vijay ‘handed over a gun’ in a scene in his last film, The Greatest of All Time, to Sivakarthikeyan, something that is widely believed to be a passing-of-the-baton gesture. Scoffing at speculations of a tiff and referring to his close camaraderie with Vijay, Sivakarthikeyan said at a recent event, “No matter who says what, this Pongal is an Annan-Thambi Pongal for all. Those associated with a film will celebrate that film, but it’s good for cinema when we celebrate each other’s films.”
Tirupur Subramaniam, distributor and exhibitor, too, admits that he will miss Vijay as a hero. “As an actor, what I liked about Vijay the most, something newer generations of stars can also learn, is that he has always been a commercial actor, someone who cared about the box office. His only policy is to ensure that the producer who invests money in him recovers that money and earns a profit. Both Rajinikanth and Vijay have been doing that, and that’s a quality I like,” he says.
However, Subramaniam is not perturbed about the retirement; he calls it an inevitable progression. “Since the times of Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, when a star leaves, a new star has always risen to fill those shoes. So while we are sad that he is retiring, we are also confident that someone else will fill his position.” Srither too agrees. “I strongly believe that cinema will always thrive even without Vijay. The newer generations of stars will take over.”
In fact, Srither believes that Jana Nayagan isn’t his last film. “I can’t divulge why I believe so. Regardless, this film will do really well at the box office. The fan who usually watches a Vijay film twice will watch this five times.” Vicky’s plans with Jana Nayagan tell you that Srither wasn’t exaggerating. “I watched GOAT five times, Varisu six times, Master seven times, and Leo 10 times. I watched both Kushi and Sacheintwice when they got re-released. I would watch his films first to celebrate, and during the subsequent times, to observe the audience around me. I’m glad to know that others around us also admire someone I admire so much. For Jana Nayagan, I haven’t fixed a count. I will watch it as many times as possible because I don’t know what the future holds. Going to a new Vijay film isn’t about whether it’s good or bad. It’s a celebration.”
The fan is quite excited to watch the H Vinoth directorial because it seems to be of the same style as the Vijay commercial films he grew up watching. “That is, the films he was doing between 2003 and 2010. I am hoping it would be a pakka commercial potboiler.” There have been speculations — enlivened by the recently released trailer — that Jana Nayagan is the remake of Telugu superstar Nandamuri Balakrishna’s 2023 action thriller Bhagavanth Kesari. Vicky says he wouldn’t mind it even if that were true. “That only excites me because Bhagavanth Kesari, on paper at least, is a film tailor-made for Vijay. It’s a 10/10 Vijay film.”
In a build-up to his swangsong, Vijay fans are ensuring that there is enough pre-release buzz. So much so that they requested Kamala Cinemas’ Vishnu to play a 2014 Vijay film (Kaththi) on this New Year’s Eve, only for the evening shows to get sold out within 12 minutes of bookings opening. “This is an emotional moment for all of us. We are excited to watch his film, but the fact that we won’t see him after makes it bittersweet,” says Vishnu. He adds. “As a theatre owner, I am petrified because the demand for tickets has already skyrocketed. There are only 1,000 seats in a screen. How can we satisfy all those who want to watch the First Day First Show?”
Vijay and Kirtana in a still from “Naalaya Theerpu”; the film was Vijay’s debut as a lead
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The Hindu Archives
Vijay has been a star who has consistently moulded himself to become what fans want him to be, but retaining his unique core. For fans, this release will be bittersweet. For, while we may not know what Naalaiya Theerpu holds, this Pongal belongs to the Jana Nayagan of Tamil cinema.
