Nani says Tamil people did not vote for CM Vijay because of box office numbers: ‘It's not just for his stardom’

While promoting his upcoming film The Paradise in Chennai, Nani spoke fondly of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay. Here's what he said.

Telugu actor Nani is busy promoting his upcoming film The Paradise, directed by Srikanth Odela. While promoting the film in Chennai, he spoke to the press about Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamil superstar C Joseph Vijay. The actor said he doesn’t believe the CM won votes based on his stardom and box-office hold alone.

Nani said that Tamilians put their trust in Vijay for more reasons than his stardom.

Nani on Vijay winning votes in TN

Nani was asked how he felt as an actor seeing a star like Vijay become the CM of TN today. He responded, “It’s amazing. That’s the kind of love we as actors gather. Like Vijay sir being the bigger star here. The kind of trust the Tamil people have shown…it shows that it’s not about success or it’s not about…just because he’s a star who collects the highest at the box office. I don’t think they’d vote for someone.”

Explaining what he meant, he added, “I think it is years of making them feel like they know him and making everyone feel like family. There’s a trust built over many years for many reasons. It’s not just for someone’s stardom or someone’s box office collections. That clearly shows the kind of trust people of Tamil Nadu have placed in Vijay sir, and I hope the next few years of rule will be amazing. And all the voters and all the Tamil people will be proved right for their choice.”

Nani stated that he thinks Vijay is ‘rocking’ so far as the CM, stating, “From whatever I’ve seen online, from the clips in the Assembly and all that, I think he’s rocking the show.” Vijay launched the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in 2024, making it the first political party in TN to break away from Dravidian parties. The election results were declared in May after voting in April. The star was sworn in as the CM on May 10. His final film, Jana Nayagan, was released in July and became the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year, with a worldwide gross of ₹324.54 crore.

About The Paradise

The Paradise is Nani’s second film with Srikanth after their 2023 hit Dasara. The film also stars Kayadu Lohar, Mohan Babu and Raghav Juyal in lead roles. It will be released in theatres on September 24 after being delayed twice. Apart from Telugu, the film will be dubbed in other South Indian languages and Hindi. Nani mentioned at the Chennai press meet that he would like to call The Paradise a Telugu film instead of a pan-India film, much like how Jawan or Pathaan are called Hindi films.