Vandhaar, Vendraar, Selgiraar
A trip down the memory lane
Title translation - He came, He conquered, He is leaving
You know how we knew the exams are around the corner but then it hits hard when the timetable arrives? Earlier this month, Thalapathy Vijay made a formal announcement about his entry to politics. Not just his apolitical fans, it hit me and many other people also the same way. I was disappointed as I read those lines which read he won’t be acting once he finishes his current commitments. As an ex-Vijay fan, this man was a part of my childhood, and something felt off about the thought that I won’t see him as much in Tamil cinema like I used to. It took me back to my school days, and thoughts started flowing and here I am!
It was the early 2000s when KTv was slowly becoming an integral part of Tamil households. (For the uninitiated, KTv is the movies-only channel of the SUN Group. No other program, just movies after movies. Still a cinephile’s go-to option over OTTs despite having ads - courtesy: Their library of tamil classics). Vijay was Ilayathalapathy back then. Till late 90s, he used to act in 5-6 films per year. They had 1- or 2-year release gaps before telecasting in TV so most scenes I watched were from Coimbatore Mapillai, Poove Unakkaga, Love Today, Once More, Kadhalukku Mariyathai, Thulladha Manamum Thullum, Kushi, Priyamaanavale, Minsara Kanna.
I wouldn’t know what film is playing but I used to just stop and watch some scenes because he was there. Pretty sure I didn’t understand much either, but this man got my attention. And still he does, be it his new or old films. Some of the above films are in my watchlist, some of their songs are in my playlists. Friends was probably the first Vijay movie I saw completely and kinda also got what it was about. Apart from thalaivan Nesamani’s excellent comedy track and Vijay’s il-thakka-saiya, Suriya shouting Aravindaaaa and Vijay going for a full out summer cut in the climax got embedded in my memory.
Then came Badri, the boxer and he played an advocate in Tamizhan (I had misconstrued Priyanka Chopra to be a Tamil heroine then, coz all we did (and even doing now) was import from north LOL). Little did I know, he had political ambitions then but that had quite some commentary - sometimes it bordered on Shankar style. Vijay na followed this up with the tea-kadai-kaaran-turned-don in Bagavathi (and how can you forget chinna bagavathi)! I immediately saw Vijay-Vadivelu combo again in Vaseegara and later in Sachein too, a film which finds a place right at the top in my comfort films list. We would probably never see this combo again and a role like Sachein again :/ (Why na…Whyy. I badly wish he gives a feel-good film before he signs off!)
It always felt like this man has been very conscious about his market and image. Well, pretty much everyone is (except Kamal maybe, a legend who always put cinema first). But Vijay somewhere got more insight and went extra mile to end up as a worthy successor to Rajinikanth. His movies usually had groovy and trendy songs, rib tickling comedy and a connect with the kids. Still does! And the movies which clicked had a real good villain like the Late Kalabhavan Mani in Pudhiya Geethai or a strong family sentiment like Thirupaachi (Man promoted sunfeast biscuit better than anyone ever could xD)!
All these factors came together to give the first blockbuster of his career Ghilli. Velu is a lifetime role and this movie still makes it to top 5 TRP when its telecasted. 2 decades since the movie released and the fact that it still gets a primetime slot is testimony enough to the immense rewatch value it has! He followed obvious success formulas like repeating combos that worked. He joined hands with Vadivelu and Prakashraj again for his next major commercial hit - Pokkiri. This was the movie which made me notice the dancer in him and I found myself going back to his previous films and get hooked to his dance too!
However, that time wasn’t good to be a Vijay fan. I was left defending Azhagiya Tamil Magan, Kuruvi, Villu, Vettaikaaran, Kaavalan and worst of all, his 50th film Sura to my friends. Lot of misses in this period with just few moments to celebrate in each movie (no, not you Sura). The year was 2011. and I became aware of his “competitor” - vera yaaru, avare thaan! avar peyar Joseph Vijay. If you know, you know! (For those who don’t - here is a small hint xD)
Then, Vijay anna gave his own “Barbenheimer” - A feel good breezy Nanban followed by a slick action thriller which became his next major blockbuster - Thuppaki. That bolted me right back into nee vena sandaiku vaada mode. This movie also marked his comeback to singing and me realizing that he sings in the first place LOL! Google Google was in my playlist for quite some time and his numbers from later films got added eventually. Meanwhile, I had got introduced to the other Vijay making ripples in Kollywood. He would later go on to be known as Makkal Selvan
His next movie pretty much created a furore as he made his political intentions a little too clear. For fans like me, Thalaivaa gave so much screentime to the dancer in him by almost dedicating the entire first half to that part. The phone call chase scene in 2nd half was something I tried replicating with my friends. We were permitted to have those 3*4 keypad phones, that too only when we go to tuition. Two of us calling a third person (who should pretend he is sleeping) at the same time to see who gets the line first xD!
Disclaimer - no political intentions in the above statement. It’s just a meme ;)
By the time Kaththi came out, I had slowly started to outgrow my Vijay fan phase. The movie did have me looking under the table and imagining blueprints but eventually Puli drove the final bullet. As I slowly got disassociated, Atlee-directed Theri being so good was quite a tease for me to go back to the fan phase. Vijay Sethupathi having a great 2016 eased my transition out of Vijay fandom. Since then, it’s mostly been memes and pop culture references, revisiting his old movies, making memes among friends. Only film post Theri which re-activated the Anil in me was MASTER. Makkal Selvan Vijay Sethupathi was also there with a role which had great(er) pizzazz and weightage. Now that I was on the other side of the table, I used that to tease the hell out of Vijay fans aka Anils.
Anyways, dear vijay fans, here is my full disclosure. and I wont repeat it. I loved both Vijays in MASTER and JD is also a lifetime role (plus vibe for us!) for Vijay along with Velu (Ghilli) and Jagadish (Thuppaki). JD had me sitting like this for most of the film
All things said and done, Thalapathy Vijay is an unavoidable face in Kollywood irrespective of his talent and films. He had cemented his place. He is the king and is very secure about the market he commands alongside Rajinikanth (which in itself is no mean feat). It takes a lot of guts to leave now. A teeny tiny part inside me wishes he comes back. Another teeny tiny part knows he will persistently and meticulously fight to achieve his aim like he did it in cinema ever since early career days. Any route you take, wish you all the best Anna. All is well! :)
Hello reader! In case, we have not met before..
I am Ganesh and I love talking, reading and writing about cinema. You can read more about me here.
The flow was so good that the ending felt too quick. Just like Vijay's career.
And how did you miss VJS in the image conciousness part, being his big fan. Andha aaluku "image" ku meaning kooda theriadhu.