Vijay and Ajith Kumar are happy for each other's success despite public perception of their rivalry, says Shalini

At an awards show, Shalini Ajith Kumar spoke of her husband's equation with Vijay and busted rumours of long-standing rivalry between both.

For a long time, there has been a public perception of a rivalry between Vijay and Ajith Kumar. Given that the duo is among the top stars of Kollywood, their fans and most people would assume there is a rivalry between them. However, when asked about them at an awards show, Shalini Ajith Kumar made it clear that the two share a good relationship despite their films competing at the box office.

Ajith Kumar and Vijay have taken two of the top spots in Kollywood for years now.

Shalini on Ajith Kumar and Vijay

At the JFW Movie Awards in Chennai, Shalini was asked to speak about Ajith and Vijay and their relationship. Shalini responded, “It’s a good relationship; they both are very happy for each other’s success and everything. It’s beautiful.” Fans were thrilled to hear this, with one of them commenting, “Both are good souls.” Another wrote, “Happy to see her after long time.” But some of Ajith’s fans weren’t convinced, leaving comments like, “But his (Vijay’s) fans exist, no?” hinting their rivalry with them and “You are giving award to everyone but you are asking everyone about Thalapathy. It's not fair. Give some respect to their hard work.”

When Ajith wanted GOAT to be a fitting farewell to Vijay

Venkat Prabhu had directed both Ajith’s 2011 hit Mankatha and Vijay’s 2024 film GOAT. Talking to Ananda Vikatan in August 2024, he revealed that Ajith wished him well for the film and even asked him to make it ‘100 times better’ than Mankatha, as it was supposed to be Vijay’s farewell film. During the film’s release, Venkat even posted an old picture of his with Ajith and Vijay on social media, writing, “Thank q #Thala #AK my anna for the first wish for @actorvijay na, me and team #GOAT we all love u.”

Ajith Kumar busted rumours of rivalry with Vijay

Last year, when Ajith was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, there were rumours that Vijay hadn’t congratulated him. However, his team released a statement saying: “These claims are entirely baseless. Vijay was among the first to congratulate Ajith Sir on his racing victory. Similarly, when the Padma Bhushan award was announced, Vijay Sir also congratulated him. Both share a genuine and heartfelt friendship. So, there is no truth to the claim that Vijay Sir didn't extend his wishes.”

In November 2025, in an audio interview with Rangaraj Pandey, Ajith directly addressed reports of rivalry and said, “Some are making things up and creating a misconception between Vijay and me, resulting in fans clashing with each other. It's better if these miscreants remain quiet ... I have always wished well for Vijay.”

Ajith has yet to announce his upcoming film after venturing into racing last year. Vijay will contest in the Tamil Nadu elections with his TVK party. His film Jana Nayagan has been postponed due to a censor delay.