Vijayakanth

Vijayakanth
Vijaykanth in 2015
16th Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
In office
27 May 2011 – 21 February 2016
Chief Minister
Preceded byJ. Jayalalithaa
Succeeded byM. K. Stalin
ConstituencyRishivandiyam
Member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
In office
23 May 2011 – 21 May 2016
Chief Minister
  • J. Jayalalithaa
  • O. Panneerselvam
  • J. Jayalalithaa
Preceded byS. Sivaraj
Succeeded byVasantham K. Karthikeyan
ConstituencyRishivandiyam
In office
29 May 2006 – 14 May 2011
Chief MinisterM. Karunanidhi
Preceded byR. Govindasamy
Succeeded byV. Muthukumar
ConstituencyVriddhachalam
President of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam
In office
14 September 2005 – 28 December 2023
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPosition abolished
General Secretary of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam
In office
1 June 2014 – 14 December 2023
PresidentHimself
Preceded byS. Ramu Vasanthan
Succeeded byPremallatha Vijayakant
President of the South Indian Artistes' Association
In office
2000–2006
Preceded byRadha Ravi
Succeeded byR. Sarathkumar
Personal details
Born
Vijayaraj Alagarswami Naidu

(1952-08-25)25 August 1952
Madurai, Madras State, India
Died28 December 2023(2023-12-28) (aged 71)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Resting placeDMDK Head Quarters, Koyambedu, Chennai
Political partyDesiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam
Spouse
Premalatha Vijayakanth
​
​
(m. 1990)​
Children2
Occupation
  • Actor
  • film director
  • film producer
  • philanthropist
  • politician
AwardsPadma Bhushan (2024) (posthumous)
Kalaimamani (2001)[1]
Nicknames
  • Captain
  • Karuppu M.G.R.[2][3]
  • Puratchi Kalaignar[4]

Vijayaraj Alagarswami (25 August 1952 – 28 December 2023), known by his stage name Vijayakanth, was an Indian actor, film director, film producer, philanthropist and politician. He primarily worked in Tamil cinema in a career spanning four decades. He ventured into politics in the later part of his career and founded his own party Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam.

Vijayakanth acted in over 150 films in his career. Some of his popular films 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).[5] He was nicknamed "Captain" following his role in the film Captain Prabhakaran (1991). He was also credited as "Puratchi Kalaignar" (revolutionary artist) in the film titles as he often appeared in roles as a law enforcer, vigilante, or a village head.[6] He won two Filmfare Awards South, three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and was awarded the Kalaimamani title in 2001.[7]

Vijayakanth served as the president of the Nadigar Sangam (actors association) from 2000 to 2006. He is credited with bringing the association out of debt and establishing a charitable trust that paid pension to low-income members of the film industry.[8][9] He was likened to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. G. Ramachandran for his humanitarian work and for his role in supporting impoverished personnel from the Tamil film industry.[10] He accepted deferred remuneration for certain films to help struggling film producers and also preached for food equality on film sets, demanding that all the crew members must be given the same quality meals that he was served.[11][12]

After founding his own party in 2005, he served as a Member of Legislative Assembly for two terms from 2006 to 2016, representing the constituencies of Virudhachalam and Rishivandiyam respectively. He led his party to win the second-most seats in the 2011 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election and served as the leader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 2011 to 2016. He remained as the leader of his party until his death in 2023. He was known for his "open and bold stance" during his political career.[13] In January 2024, he was posthumously awarded India's third-highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan, by the Government of India.[14][15]

  1. ^ "Vijayakanth dies at 71. Tracing Captain's illustrious film and political career". India Today. 28 December 2023. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  2. ^ Ramanujam, Srinivasa (28 December 2023). "Why is Vijayakanth called 'Captain'? A throwback to the actor's 100th film". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Is Vijayakant reviving the 'Black MGR' image amid COVID-19 pandemic?". thefederal.com. 22 April 2020. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Captain's curse". theweek.in. 12 June 2016. Archived from the original on 6 July 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  5. ^ Chandar, Bhuvanesh (28 December 2023). "Adios, Captain Vijayakanth: The quintessential cop and crusader on-screen". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Difference between a mere actor and a star is a grandiose appellation in the glitzy world of South Indian cinema". The Economic Times. 6 February 2013. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Passing of Tamil Cinema icon & DMDK founder 'Captain' Vijayakanth leaves a void that will be hard to fill: PM Modi". Firstpost. 28 December 2023. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  8. ^ "How actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth earned the popular moniker 'Captain'". The Hindustan Times. 28 December 2023. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Vijayakanth (1952–2023): Tamil Nadu loses its Captain". The Indian Express. 28 December 2023. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  10. ^ Kannan, Ramya (28 December 2023). "Vijayakant | The actor-politician who was more than just hope for his ardent followers". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Captain... The word suits him for sure!". The News stuff. 21 April 2020. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Captain Vijayakanth passes away! Here is a recap of the cinematic journey of the inspirational actor". The Times of India.
  13. ^ "'Vijayakanth was known for his open and bold stance'". The Times of India. 28 December 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Padma Awardees List 2024" (PDF). Padma Awards. 25 January 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  15. ^ K., Janani (26 January 2024). "Actor-politician Vijayakanth awarded Padma Bhushan posthumously". India Today. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.