Vijay's father says his son can continue to act and ‘earn a lot of money’ but chose not to; credits this for change

Vijay's father SA Chandrasekhar spoke about his son's film and political career at an event in Chennai recently and said this.

Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay’s father, filmmaker SA Chandrasekhar, spoke about his son’s film and political career. Crediting him for starring in socially conscious films, which marked a career change, at an event held by Behindwoods in Chennai, Chandrasekhar reflected on how his son would earn more money if he had stuck to acting. Here’s what he said.

Vijay's father SA Chandrasekhar believes his son wants a political career after doing socially conscious films.

Vijay’s father on his political career

When Chandrasekhar began talking about his son, the crowd cheered so loudly that he had to give them a moment to calm down. He said, “My son Vijay…in general, money isn’t the only thing in life. He can easily act and earn a lot of money. I am talking about your TVK leader. But instead, all he wants to do is serve the people of Tamil Nadu. With this thought in his mind…there might be many reasons for it.”

Chandrasekhar drew parallels between Vijay and the late actor and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (MGR), stating that they might both have been influenced by the films in which they acted. “Some of the films he acted in might also be the reason. They sow seeds in an actor’s heart. MGR acted in such films and became a leader. Likewise, in this generation, he did many films which instilled social consciousness within him,” said the filmmaker.

AR Murugadoss also credited by Vijay’s father

Director AR Murugadoss, who was on stage with Vijay’s father, was also credited for the career path his son is now taking. Chandrasekhar said, “AR Murugadoss is one of the filmmakers who did that.” He also spoke about how Murugadoss was the only director Vijay had shown any emotion to during script narrations.

“In the beginning of his career, I would join Vijay when he would listen to stories. Vijay would silently enjoy it without saying a word. But after Thuppaki’s (2012) first narration, he hugged Murugadoss. The film is a cult today because of that screenplay,” said Chandrasekhar in his speech.

Vijay, who was last seen in Venkat Prabhu’s 2024 film The GOAT, is giving up a career in films to contest in the Tamil Nadu elections. His final film, H Vinoth’s Jana Nayagan, will be released in theatres on January 9, 2026, for Pongal.