By Ananya Sharma 
Chennai, December 28: The morning began quietly. By afternoon, garlands had been placed, old speeches replayed, and familiar slogans echoed at memorials across the state. Captain Vijayakanth has been gone two years now, yet on this day, his presence still feels close. What many noticed, though, was not who spoke, but who did not.
There was no public message from Vijay. No statement from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. No carefully worded post acknowledging the second death anniversary of the man who once turned Tamil Nadu politics on its head. By evening, that absence had become the talking point.
A Figure Who Refused To Fade Away
It has been two years since Vijayakanth passed away on December 28, 2023, but his imprint has not softened with time. For many, he remains the rare actor who stepped into politics and actually unsettled the established order.
Cadres of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam spent the day as they usually do. Floral tributes. Emotional speeches. Old video clips of fiery Assembly debates and defiant film dialogues. It was intimate, party-focused, and deeply personal.
What made this anniversary feel different was everything happening outside those gatherings.
Why Vijay’s Silence Is Being Watched
Ever since Vijay announced his political entry, comparisons with Vijayakanth have followed him around. Not because they asked for it, but because Tamil Nadu has seen this story before. A popular star. A promise of clean politics. A movement built outside the traditional Dravidian framework.
So when today arrived, many assumed there would be at least a nod. Nothing elaborate. Just a line, a memory, an acknowledgment of the path that had been walked before. When that did not come, questions began to circulate quietly.
Political observers point out that Vijayakanth’s rise was not accidental. According to analyses published by The Hindu, his success came from building an organisation, not just a fan base. He proved that cinema popularity could be converted into votes and, for a brief period, into genuine political leverage.
That lesson matters now more than ever.
Television Coverage Told Its Own Story
Tamil news channels moved through the day without mentioning Vijay. Not pointedly. Just plain. Thanthi TV and Sun News focused on DMDK leaders and supporters, on remembrances and retrospectives. The absence of any TVK message meant there was simply nothing to report.
By late afternoon, reporters in Chennai said expectations had quietly lowered. No background briefings. No hints from party insiders. Just silence.
On social media, fan-run accounts speculated, as they often do. Some suggested a delayed message. Others argued that restraint was intentional. None of it could be verified.
Silence Does Not Always Mean Distance
Veteran journalists urge caution. Vijay has, so far, avoided the noise that usually surrounds new political entrants. He does not comment daily. He does not rush into symbolic gestures. His communication has been sparse and controlled.
As one senior editor with The Indian Express remarked off record, in Tamil Nadu politics, not occupying every available space can itself be a strategy. A public tribute today could have opened doors, but it could also have invited expectations, comparisons, and demands for lineage.
There is also the reality that Vijayakanth’s legacy belongs first to DMDK. Any attempt to share that space risks being read the wrong way.
The Weight Of Vijayakanth’s Example
For emerging political movements, Vijayakanth remains a reference point. He showed what was possible. He also showed what happens when a party becomes inseparable from one man’s health and presence.
For TVK, those lessons are unavoidable. Admiration and caution walk together.
Among ordinary people, however, the memory is less analytical. Vijayakanth is remembered as blunt, uncompromising, sometimes messy, and often unpredictable. But always accessible. That reputation still draws respect, even from those who never voted for him.
A Day That Ended Without Answers
As night fell, nothing changed. No message appeared. No clarification was issued. Whether that silence holds or breaks later is something only time will answer.
For now, the second anniversary of Captain Vijayakanth passed familiarly for his supporters, and in quiet curiosity for everyone else. In Tamil Nadu politics, meaning is often found not just in words spoken, but in the choice to say nothing at all.
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- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ananya/
- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ananya/
- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ananya/
- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ananya/
