Vijayakanth

Narayanan Vijayaraj Alagarswami (25 August 1952 – 28 December 2023), better known by his stage name Vijayakanth, was an Indian politician and actor who worked predominantly in Tamil cinema. His notable roles include Vaidehi Kathirunthal (1984), Amman Kovil Kizhakale (1986), Poonthotta Kaavalkaaran (1988), Senthoora Poove (1988), Pulan Visaranai (1990), Chinna Gounder (1992), Honest Raj (1994), Thayagam (1996) and Vaanathaippola (2000). He Has Won Two Filmfare Awards South and Three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. He was Awarded With Kalaimamani

For his role in Senthoora Poove, Vijayakanth won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor in 1988. In 1996, he was awarded the Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for his role in Thayagam. He was also the recipient of two Cinema Express Awards and one Filmfare Awards South. He was nicknamed as "Captain" among film fraternity.

Vijayakanth was the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 2011 to 2016. He was the founder and president of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) Political party and served as a MLA twice representing the constituency of Virudhachalam and Rishivandiyam respectively from 2006 to 2016.

Vijayakanth was born as Vijayaraj Alagarswami in Madurai on 25 August 1952. His parents were K. N. Alagarswami and Aandal Azhagarswami. He married Premalatha on 31 January 1990 and had two sons, including Shanmuga Pandian, an actor who starred in Sagaptham (2015) and Madura Veeran (2018).

Vijayakanth was one of very few Tamil actors to have acted only in Tamil films throughout his career. His films have mostly been dubbed into Telugu and Hindi. Vijayakanth had the title "Puratchi Kalingar" (revolutionary artist) in the film industry. He was also known for portraying a patriotic, village do-gooder and dual role acting in his films. Many refused to play with him and great filmmakers did not show up to make films. He acted in more than 20 films as a police officer. He was best known for low-budget films that showcased gravity-defying stunts in which he would single-handedly dispatch his enemies.

Most of his films revolved around corruption, honesty and keeping up promises. He worked 3 shifts per day and that was his dedication towards his craft. Vijayakanth took delayed remunerations and sometimes didn't take them at all to benefit the struggling producers. More importantly, he didn't try to publicize these and let the world see it for themselves and take inspiration. Upon entering the film industry to pursue an acting career, he changed to "Vijayakanth", dropping the "Raj" out of his name and suffixing it with "Kanth," by his first film M. A. Kaja's Inikkum Ilamai (1979). He then had success with Sattam Oru Iruttarai (1981), directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar; with whom he did movies mostly.

In the 1980s and 1990s, he was an action icon with a consistent box-office appeal. He got the sobriquet "Captain" after the 100th film, Captain Prabhakaran (1991).

1979 to 1989: Early career

Vijayakanth was cast in Inikkum Ilamai (1979), his first film where he played an antagonist, which was directed by M. A. Kaja. His subsequent films Agal Vilakku (1979), Neerottam (1980) and Saamanthippoo (1980) were box-office flops. His film Doorathu Idi Muzhakkam (1980), was screened at the Indian Panorama of the International Film Festival of India. However the film that strongly launched him as a commercial hero was Sattam Oru Iruttarai (1981), directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar. It was remade in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada languages. In his formative years, Vijayakanth acted in films carrying revolutionary and radical thoughts such as Sivappu Malli (1981) and Jadhikkoru Needhi (1981). In these films, he brilliantly portrayed the angry young revolutionist characters. He then played a villain role in Om Shakti (1982) but after which he never portrayed antagonist characters in his career.

Slowly he started acting in commercial films on action, romance and sentimental themes and gradually rose to the top and with many super hit films like Nooravathu Naal (1984) and Vaidhegi Kaathirunthaal (1984). This year, he had 18 releases. He became the Tamil cinema actor to release the most films in a year in the lead role. He acted in Annai Bhoomi 3D (1985), the first 3D film made in the Tamil film industry where he acted alongside Radha Ravi and Kannada actor Tiger Prabhakar. He co-starred with Kannada superstar actor Vishnuvardhan in Eetti (1985). The romantic comedy Naane Raja Naane Mandhiri (1985) was a commercial success.

Vijayakanth acted in Amman Kovil Kizhakale (1986), which earnt him a Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. He also acted in Manakanakku (1986), the only film where Kamal Haasan and Vijayakanth worked together, followed by Oomai Vizhigal (1986) which became a cult classic. It portrayed him in an unusual role of an aged cop. He became an indisputable competitor of stalwarts Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. In 1987, he co-starred with Sivaji Ganesan in Veerapandiyan, followed by successful movies as Cooliekkaran, Veeran Veluthambi, Ninaive Oru Sangeetham, Sattam Oru Vilayaattu and Uzhavan Magan. In 1988, he worked in films such as Therkathi Kallan, Nallavanand Poonthotta Kaavalkaaran. In Senthoora Poove, Vijayakanth won a Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor.

In 1989, he also starred in two other super hit films such as Paattukku Oru Thalaivan and Ponmana Selvan. This followed the crime thrillerRajanadai and the Hindu devotional film Meenakshi Thiruvilayadal.

1990 to 1999: Action roles

Throughout the 1990s, Vijayakanth excelled in versatile roles in a variety of films falling under various genres though he was more popular as an action hero including Pulan Visaranai and had R. Sarathkumar portraying the antagonist. Directed by R. K. Selvamani, this film was considered to be one of the best Tamil crime thrillers of its time.

Vijayakanth starred superhit cop flick Sathriyan, produced by Mani Ratnam, about an honest cop and a corrupt politician. After the success of Pulan Visaranai, Rowther decided to start another project with Vijayakanth and director R. K. Selvamani, titled Captain Prabhakaran (1991). It was Vijayakanth's 100th film, after which he earned the sobriquet "Captain" ever since he portrayed an IFS officer. After M.G.R, Sivaji Ganesan and Jayalalithaa, he was the only actor to have tasted a silver jubilee hit in his 100th film. The film was a commercial success upon its release, followed by Maanagara Kaaval (1991) and Moondrezhuthil En Moochirukkum (1991). Vijayakanth worked in films such as Chinna Gounder (1992). This film was radically different from Vijayakanth's earlier portrayals, as he was donning the role of a soft-spoken village chieftain. This film was ranked third in Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film, followed by Bharathan (1992), Thai Mozhi (1992) and Kaviya Thalaivan (1992).

He also appeared in various roles such as Koyil Kaalai (1993), Ezhai Jaathi (1993), Sakkarai Devan (1993), Rajadurai (1993) andEnga Muthalali (1993). He co-starred with the son of the director S. A. Chandrasekhar, Vijay in Sendhoorapandi (1993), where Vijayakanth plays the role of elder brother. Director SAC thought a film with Vijayakanth would give an impetus to Vijay's film career. Vijayakanth played an extended cameo role in this film for which he did not take any remuneration. He turned out to be a hit.

In 1994, he appears in Sethupathi IPS, Honest Raj, Pathavi Pramanam, En Aasai Machan and Periya Marudhu. He then acted in Karuppu Nila (1995), Thirumoorthy (1995) and Gandhi Pirantha Mann (1995). For his performance in the action film Thayagam (1996), he won a Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize. This was followed by Tamizh Selvan and Alexander. In 1997, his film Dharma Chakkaram (1997), was directed by K. S. Ravikumar. He acted in his 125th film Ulavuthurai (1998), followed by Dharma (1998) and Veeram Vilanja Mannu (1998). His following films wereKallazhagar (1999), Periyanna (1999) where he played alongside Suriya. He also starred in R. B. Choudary's production, Kannupada Poguthaiya (1999)under the banner Super Good Films.

2000 to 2009: Experienced roles

In 2000s, Vijayakanth continued his success streak with such blockbuster films as Vaanathai Pola a rural family drama directed by Vikraman, which won two awards; a Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film of the year and National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. This was followed by Vallarasu and Simmasanam. After this year, he again played in action films such as Vaanchinathan (2001) directed by Shaji Kailas and Narasimha (2001). Then came Viswanathan Ramamoorthy (2001), in which he made a cameo appearance and the village drama Thavasi (2001). All these films received mixed reviews from critics at the box office.

In 2002, he acted in Raajjiyam followed by Devan, co-starring with the actor and directed by Arun Pandian. In director AR Murugadoss's Ramanaa, he underplayed as a realistic action hero and gave life to the role of an anti-corruption crusader. He won a Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film of the year and became commercially successful. In 2003, he had two releases, Chokka Thangam, a family drama and Thennavan, a political film. In 2004, he appeared ina comedy-drama, Engal Anna which was a success, however Gajendra and Neranja Manasu received negative reviews. Later, he did a special appearance in Suriya's film Maayavi (2005). In 2006, he acted in three action films, Sudesi, Perarasu and Dharmapuri.

The following year, he starred in Sabari (2007). His 150th film was Arasangam (2008), about a police officer who discovers and unravels the mystery behind a terrorist gang plotting to steal information about the growth of the Indian economy, set in Chennai then Toronto. He acted in the drama Mariyadhai (2009), in the second film with director Vikraman, after Vaanathai Pola followed by the action Engal Aasan (2009), where he co-starred with Vikranth, the cousin of actor Vijay. This year, Vijayakanth received a Filmfare Top 10 Legends of Tamil Cinema Award, over the course of his three-decade career as a screen star.

2010 to 2015: Later projects

Vijayakanth acted and directed the film, Virudhagiri (2010), a remake of the French film Taken. After taking a hiatus of five years without films, he made a cameo appearance with his son, the first film of actor Shanmuga Pandian in Sagaptham (2015). In November 2015, he came back to acting in afeature film - Arun Ponnambalam's Thamizhan Endru Sol, alongside his son, Shanmuga Pandian, the second film with him. The film began production during November 2015, and had been temporarily suspended owing to the upcoming TN Assembly elections and the deteriorating health of Vijayakanth.

Vijayakanth played 154 movies and was one of the most adored film personalities in the Tamil industry. He was listed by The Cinemaholic among the top 20 best Tamil actors of all time.

2006–2011

He formed the centre-left party Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), a regional political party in Tamil Nadu. He formally announced the party's formation on 14 September 2005 in Madurai. His party contested in all seats in 2006 assembly elections and won one seat contested by him. The DMDK, led by Vijaykanth, proved to be an important player in the 2006 Tamil Nadu assembly election, garnering 10% of the voters and securing 10.1% in this Lok Sabha election. According to the study, it secured more votes than the winning margins of candidates in about 25 constituencies. In 2006, polling showed that DMDK was able to get more DMK votes than AIADMK votes, but in this election, they were able to wrestle more Congress voters from 2004 than any other party. Contrary to the claim of many in the AIADMK camp blaming DMDK for the defeat, there was no evidence for this to be true. Vijayakanth declared that he would not ask donations for his party, and most of the funding for the party comes from his own pocket. He rejected alliances with other political parties. In a by-election to Madurai Central assembly constituency, DMDK secured around 17000 votes, which was just 2000 votes less than AIADMK. DMDK was also able to secure a significant number of seats in Local Body elections.

Leader of theopposition, 2011

In the 2011 election, held on 13 April 2011, he formed an alliance with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and contested in 41 constituencies. His party saw success, winning 29 of the 41 seats it contested. Notably, DMDK won more seats than the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Vijayakanth occupied the position of MLA for the second time, winning the Rishivandhiyam constituency. Cho Ramaswamy encouraged Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) to forge an alliance with AIADMK. DMDK launched a vigorous campaign to defeat DMK; it made a resolution to call all parties to come together to defeat the ruling DMK in a conference held in Salem on 8 January, presided over by its leader Vijayakanth. S. Ramadoss, leader of Pattali Makkal Katchi, expressed his dissatisfaction with people from the film industry ruling Tamil Nadu since 1967. He also urged voters not to vote for Vijayakanth with his long career as a Tamil actor.

Following the election, Jayalalithaa and Vijayakanth had exchanges in the assembly that started the rift between the two parties. Due to this reason, Vijayakanth got separated from AIADMK. In the 2014 parliament elections, DMDK forged an alliance with BJP, a non-DMK and non-ADMK alliance of parties such as MDMK, PMK, IJK, and other small parties. PM Modi gave special reference to him in the NDA leaders meet and referred him as his friend. DMDK Leader Vijayakanth lost his position as Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly as eight of his MLAs handed over their resignations to the speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

2016 election

He lost both his seat and deposit in the 2016 election. A two-time MLA (2006 and 2011), he was contesting from the Ulundurpettai constituency in Tamil Nadu's Vilupuram district. He could manage only 34,447 votes, which saw him finish third. The seat was won by the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (AIADMK) candidate R. Kumaraguru, who polled 81,973 votes. His nearest rival was the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidate G.R. Vasanthavel, who managed 77,809 votes to finish second.

Elections contested

He founded Shri Andal Alagar College of Engineering in 2001. His wife was the chairperson of this college. On 1 October 2001, Vijayakanth declared that 1 October, which was actor Sivaji Ganesan's birthday, be observed as Actors' Day in Tamil Nadu. In 2001, he was the former president of South Indian Film Artistes' Association and under his presidency, the debts of the association were cleared by organising celebrity shows overseas. Vijayakanth launched a 24-hour television channel called Captain TV on 14 April 2010. He later launched a 24-hour news channel called Captain News on 29 August 2012.

The media widely publicised an ongoing dispute between Vijayakanth and comedic actor Vadivelu, who was Vijayakanth's co-star in a number of notable films. On 21 September 2008, Vadivelu's residence, located in Saligramam in Chennai, was pelted with stones by a gang, leaving several windows and furniture damaged. Vadivelu reported that he suspected that it was Vijayakanth's men, because of a court case which he had filed against Vijayakanth for assault, for which the final court hearing was to take place the following day. Filing another case for attempted murder against Vijayakanth, Vadivelu mentioned his interest in competing against him in the next assembly elections and "teaching him a lesson."

In response, Vijayakanth told a press meet that Vadivelu's allegations were based on hearsay.

During the legislative assembly elections in Tamil Nadu in 2011, Vadivelu vehemently campaigned for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its alliance. During his public speeches, he predominantly condemned Vijayakanth, whose party, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), allied with the opposition party All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). In a campaign speech in Tiruvarur, Vadivelu stated that "(his) only aim was to sweep out Vijayakanth's whole team and to campaign vigorously for DMK's victory". Vadivelu was criticized as being biased, only supporting a DMK-led victory for personal gains and not once mentioning the then-official opposition, the AIADMK, or its leader, J. Jayalalitha. In a turn of events, the election was eventually successful for the AIADMK alliance, while Vijayakanth was victorious by a significant margin in his own constituency.

While speaking at an election campaign meeting in 2016, he criticized Rajinikanth, causing a considerable backlash from supporters of Rajinikanth. He was criticized for making obscene gestures in public, often towards journalists.

Vijayakanth died due to pneumonia at a hospital in Chennai, on 28 December 2023, at the age of 71. He was on ventilator support after testing positive for COVID-19.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Former Indian Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Rajnath Singh, Anurag Thakur, L. Murugan, BJP President J. P. Nadda, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi, Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, Opposition Leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Several party leaders and Film fraternity Condoled and paid last tributes on his demise. The Tamil Nadu State Government announced full state honours for his funeral.

Honours

Film Awards and nominations