Shaam says Vijay was disappointed in himself and heartbroken after Karur stampede deaths: ‘He had lot of regret’

After a stampede left 41 people dead during actor-politician Vijay's rally in Karur, Shaam says that it took time to even get in touch with him.

Actor Shaam, who shares a close relationship with actor-politician Vijay, spoke about the aftermath of the 41 deaths during a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) rally in Karur in September. On the Date with Azhar podcast, Shaam revealed that Vijay was heartbroken after a stampede broke out at his maanadu (public meeting) and that it took some time to get in touch with him afterwards.

Actors Vijay and Shaam recently starred together in Varisu (2023); clicked together on the set of Leo (2023).

Shaam, on seeing Vijay’s pain first-hand after Karur stampede

On the podcast, Shaam spoke about the kind of friendship he shares with Vijay, stating that he texts the actor-politician every day and speaks to him at least once a week. He said, “After the Karur incident, he was very heartbroken…very disappointed with himself. He had a lot of regret that something like this happened during his maanadu. It took me more than four days to even speak to him.”

After the Karur stampede, it took Shaam almost a week to get in touch with Vijay, he says. “Usually, I message him every morning and talk at least once a week. If he sees my message, I call and speak; it’s usually in the evening. But after the incident, there was no response for five days. Only on the sixth day or so, he said, I’m okay, we’ll talk. I think he went through a very painful phase for a month,” said the actor.

The Karur stampede

On 27 September 2025, a stampede broke out during a TVK rally in Karur led by Vijay. 41 people were killed, and around 100 were injured. The incident happened when a large crowd surged towards Vijay to catch a glimpse of him. An FIR was filed and criminal proceedings initiated against various TVK leaders, including the general secretary N Anand.

Vijay shared a statement on social media after returning to Chennai, stating that he was “writhing in unbearable, indescribable pain and sorrow that words cannot express.” He gave his first public speech after the incident earlier this month.

Vijay was last seen in Venkat Prabhu's The GOAT. His final film, H Vinoth's Jana Nayagan, will be released in theatres for Pongal 2026.