Karur Stampede: What Does It Reveal About Vijay's Fan Culture?

Indumathy SukanyaFor the past three weeks and more, social media has been abuzz with analyses of the Karur stampede and theories on who is to blame. What is most striking is the swiftness with which fans declared unwavering support for TVK leader Vijay.

#IStandWithVijay trended within hours of the incident as did conspiracy theories that proposed attempts by the state to “take revenge” on Vijay and eliminate him as a political threat.

Such loyalty is not entirely spontaneous; it is a result of two years of concerted efforts by TVK’s IT wing, which created an expansive network of social media accounts, influencers and groups. “The adoring, undiscerning fan is our target audience,” says a TVK functionary involved in content creation.

“After the tragedy, we put out the hashtag #IStandWithVijay and decided to keep silent. When the hashtag started to trend, we decided to roll with it.

”The reward of seeing the star up close or taking a selfie with him is a big part of what drives the crowd, says B Divyashree, assistant professor of sociology at MOP Vaishnav College for Women. “Imagine a young fan being taunted by friends for not seeing ‘thalapathy’ in his hometown.”

Fans see it as Vijay and his supporters against an unfair world, just as it is in his movies, says Mathur Sathya, a political analyst. The ‘othering’ — when a person highly values their own group while denigrating anyone from a group different from theirs — is part of the conditioning, says Sathya. “Anyone who questions Vijay is a “`200 UP” (short for ‘udan pirappu’, as the late CM M Karunanidhi called his partymen, meaning someone who has been paid to discredit Vijay online).”Are Vijay’s followers perhaps expecting a redemption arc, like in his movies, where before the interval the hero faces a setback before his inevitable triumph? “Definitely,” says Sathya. “But here is the catch: they will be on the side of Vijay no matter what he chooses to do.”The archetype of the mass hero has changed over the past two decades, says Sathya. “In the 1990s, the hero uplifted communities. Most of Vijay’s supporters grew up in the 2000s; and the protagonist in Vijay’s recent movies such as 'Leo' and 'GOAT' is the anti-hero whose only standout quality is his ability to have loyal henchmen,” he says.

The typical Vijay fan has learned to celebrate any reaction to Vijay — positive or negative.

‘Kadharu, kadharu’ is the phrase they use, which roughly translates to ‘cry me a river’.“Young people who are influenced to this level by a film star cannot discern between right and wrong, true and false,” says S Vandhana, clinical psychologist at V-Cope. "It is the lack of a real life role model that pushes them to find one on screen."Political commentators on social media have been resharing videos of political leaders such as Vijayakant and Vaiko disciplining the crowd at their meetings and instructing them to get down from trees, to conduct themselves better and get home safely. Such reminiscence also shows the difference between a fan and a cadre. A person at a rally of a politician such as EPS or Stalin would join the crowd with the intention of seeing the leader first, then find an LED screen or a speaker and settle down nearby, as the focus is on hearing their leaders speak.At Vijay’s rallies, the speeches thus far have prioritised punchy comebacks over statements on ideology. “It is the responsibility of the leader to direct the following he commands. But Vijay has institutionalised apolitical behaviour,” says Sathya, adding that an average Vijay fan sees his own lack of political consciousness reflected in his leader.“We need to increase political awareness among the youth,” says Divyashree. “Even a basic level of politicization is enough to turn a young person away from fanatic tendencies.”Email your feedback to [email protected]