Vijay is Khushbu's thambi, says Sundar C, refuses to criticise TVK chief despite opposing him in Tamil Nadu elections

Sundar C recently announced his entry into politics with Pudiya Neethi Katchi. When asked about Vijay, here's how he responded.

Filmmaker and actor Sundar C recently announced that he will contest the upcoming Tamil Nadu elections as a candidate for the Pudiya Neethi Katchi (PNK), which is part of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led (AIADMK) National Democratic Alliance (NDA) alliance. He will be contesting from the Madurai Central constituency. When asked about Vijay and his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the filmmaker-actor refused to criticise them.

Sundar C says that Vijay considers Khushbu Sundar as his akka.

Sundar C refuses to criticise Khushbu’s thambi Vijay

Sundar spoke to the press on Wednesday about contesting in Madurai. He thanked AC Shanmugam for giving him the opportunity and stated that, should he win, he would spend 15 days per month in the constituency. “I have worked in the film industry for the last 30 years and have given many successful films. My next move will be based on the outcome of this election,” he said.

When asked about Vijay and his candidates, he refused to criticise them, saying, “Vijay sir has a lot of love and respect for me, and so do I for him. My wife (Khushbu) considers him her thambi (younger brother), and he calls her his akka (elder sister). So, I am not ready to criticise Vijay, his party or his candidate.” However, he mentioned that he thinks the competition in the Madurai Central constituency will be between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the AIADMK.

For the unversed, Sundar was announced as the candidate for Madurai for the PNK-NDA coalition. Khushbu is the vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tamil Nadu wing. She was previously aligned with Congress and the DMK. The filmmaker-actor was recently replaced by Cibi Chakaravarthi for a film starring Rajinikanth and produced by Kamal Haasan. But he has One 2 One lined up as an actor and Mookuthi Amman 2 and Purushan as a director.

Vijay to contest in Tamil Nadu elections

The Tamil Nadu elections will be held on April 23, and Vijay plans to contest with his TVK party. The actor has been holding maanaadu (public conferences) to promote his party and share his manifesto since 2024. Despite setbacks, including a stampede during a rally in Karur in 2025 and being recently denied permission to hold conferences in some regions, the actor persevered. Recently, a police case was filed against Vijay and the TVK party cadres for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

Vijay’s final film, Jana Nayagan, directed by H Vinoth, was supposed to hit screens in January but was postponed indefinitely due to a delay in CBFC certification. The actor has also been in the news for his alleged relationship with Trisha Krishnan amid news that his wife, Sangeeta Sornalingam, filed for divorce.