Vijayakanth, the founder-leader of DMDK and a well-known actor in Tamil film
CHENNAI: Vijaykanth, the founder-leader of DMDK and a well-known actor in Tamil film, passed away on Thursday morning in a private hospital while receiving ventilator support for pneumonia. At the age of 71, he was survived by his sons Vijaya Prabhakaran and Shanmuga Pandian, as well as his wife Premalatha. He tested positive for Covid-19, and the party headquarters revealed early on Thursday that he had been receiving ventilator support.
Vijaykanth was suffering from long term illness
On Tuesday, he was brought into the hospital. He has been in and out of the hospital for an extended period of time. He traveled to the United States in 2017 to receive medical care after receiving an organ transplant. His toes were removed in June 2022 as a result of chronic diabetes.
“Captain” Vijaykanth
Vijayakant, who was born in Madurai as Vijayaraj to Alargarswami and Aandal, became well-known in the Tamil cinema business alongside actors Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. Many followers were enthralled by his humble demeanor and gave him the nicknames “Puratchi Kalaignar” and “Karuppu MGR.” After his 100th successful film, “Captain Prabhakaran,” his admirers referred to him affectionately as “Captain.”
The young revolutionary was expertly represented by the actor. He received multiple honors, such as the Tamil Nadu government’s Senthoora Poove award in 1988 and the Filmfare award for “Amman Kovil Kizhakale” in 1986. Having played the lead in eighteen films in 1984, he wrote the history by becoming the only actor in the Tamil cinema industry.
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Founder-leader of DMDK
During his administration, Vijayakant arranged fund-raising trips overseas to pay off the South Indian Artistes Association’s debts, which had been steadily growing under the leadership of the late chief minister M G Ramachandran.
Renowned for his charitable endeavors, Vijayakant decided to enter politics in 2005 and rename his fan clubs Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam. After Vijayakant sided with Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK in 2011, his DMDK had a spectacular surge in electoral politics. Out of 40 seats, the actor won 29 of them. Vijayakant himself stood for election and rose to prominence as the leader of the opposition, forcing the DMK, the main Dravidian major, to take third place.
Close relations with PM Modi
Vijayakant was close to the national leader after heavily endorsing PM candidate Narendra Modi during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as an associate of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Speaking at the Parliamentary Party gathering shortly after his victory, Modi praised the DMDK leader for his state-wide campaigning. “He is my good friend,” Modi said.
After forming a coalition with the People’s Welfare Front, a four-party alliance, Vijayakant ran as the assembly election’s nominee for chief minister in 2016. His last sighting occurred on December 13 at Thiruverkadu, near Chennai, during a public event for the DMDK general council meeting. He came out in a wheelchair assisted by aides, and he stayed in the hall for about thirty minutes until the DMDK general secretary, Premalatha, his wife and the treasurer, was unanimously elected by the council. One of the parties recognized by Tamil Nadu’s election commission is the DMDK.
