Of MGR, Sivaji Ganesan, and Tamil Nadu’s star-studded politics

The spectacular rise of former AIADMK general secretary and Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), who was essentially embedded with the Dravidian movement even as an actor, to the top job in the State after splitting from the DMK, has fed – and continues to feed – the fantasy of several popular actors in Tamil Nadu.

Actors with huge fan followings, such as Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, and Vijayakant, as well as popular stars like K. Bhagyaraj, Karthik, and Ramarajan, have tried their luck in elections with limited success. Now, ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, actor C. Joseph Vijay – arguably Tamil cinema’s biggest star today – has launched the Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), hoping to replicate MGR’s historic success in 1977.