Long before historic election win, Vijay used ‘pookie’ innocence to conquer Tamil cinema

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But that did not start following the Thalapathy-fication of the actor. It began with people developing a likeness towards him early in his career, which snowballed over the years, eventually becoming what we see today.

The doorway to hearts: Becoming the ultimate guy-next-door

It wasn’t just the roles where he portrayed the “saviour” of the downtrodden and those in distress that earned Vijay a unique position in the hearts of the audience. The light-hearted romantic movies he did during the initial phase of his career also played a key role in making him beloved by the masses. To be more precise, they served as his doorway to the audience’s hearts, helping Vijay establish himself as the guy-next-door — “a person from your family, your son, your elder brother, or your younger brother,” as he would say.

Workers of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam celebrate in Dharavi, Maharashtra, after Vijay took the oath as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. (File photo/Akash Patil)

In a way, it could be said that Vijay carved his way into fans’ hearts as a pookie, who was impossible to overlook, particularly owing to the child-like innocence in his body language and expressions. While most actors would have focused more on exuding romance in such roles, Vijay un/knowingly injected an unmissable wide-eyedness into his demeanour, making him appealing not just to the youths of the era who wished to have romantic partners like him, but also to those belonging to other age groups who wished for such cutie-pies in their lives.

From ‘angry young man’ to romantic hero

For the unversed, Vijay made his debut as a leading man in Naalaiya Theerpu (1992), directed by his father, SA Chandrasekhar, and produced by his mother, Shoba Chandrasekhar. Since the “angry young man” archetype was still in vogue in South India at the time, and given the widespread acclaim earned by Ram Gopal Varma’s Nagarjuna-starrer Shiva (1989) not long ago, Naalaiya Theerpu also featured a similar hero who fought against the injustices around him. However, since there was already an abundance of men capable of pulling off such characters, Vijay didn’t make much of an impact, and neither did the movie.

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But it didn’t take Vijay long to understand that his forte was romance. Nevertheless, since most mainstream Indian films of that era blended multiple genres, ensuring each work offered the audience a wholesome experience while evoking as many emotions as possible, his movies weren’t mere love stories. He romanced, danced, fought, cried, and laughed on screen.

Vijay’s ‘chocolate-boy’ era

One of the biggest advantages he had was that stars like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vijaykanth, and Sathyaraj were already in their 40s and could no longer pull off “chocolate-boy” roles. Even though young actors like Ajith Kumar and Prashanth Thiagarajan were solid contenders, they weren’t all-rounders like Vijay. Even if Vijay was just average at everything, he still was a jack-of-all-trades, unlike his peers, and that helped him cultivate a strong fan base among family audiences.

His ability to handle comedy — which most of his contemporaries lacked — also helped him significantly. Moreover, his appearance resonated with a large segment of young South Indian men, making him quickly beloved among them.

It didn’t take Vijay long to understand that his forte was romance. (Express archive photo)

In emotional moments in movies, rather than ensuring brilliant portrayals that stayed true to his characters’ souls, Vijay focused on making the audience feel the weight of his characters’ sorrow in their own chests, bringing tears to their eyes, rather than seeking praise for his performances.

Movies like Rasigan (1994), Poove Unakkaga (1996), Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997), Thulladha Manamum Thullum (1999), Minsara Kanna (1999), Endrendrum Kadhal (1999), Kushi (2000), Kannukkul Nilavu (2000), Priyamaanavale (2000), and Friends (2001) endeared him to the audience, particularly due to his handling of romance, where he cleverly infused innocence into his body language and subsequently the souls of his characters.

Vijay and Suvalakshmi in Nilaave Vaa. (Express archive photo)

Cuteness, compassion and the ‘Ilam Thendral’ magic

For instance, take the ice-cream parlor scene and the moment when Kutty (Vijay) lovingly places a rose on Rukmani’s (Simran) hair in Thulladha Manamum Thullum, or when Shiva (Vijay) responds to Jenny’s (Jyotika) envious questions about whom he was talking to so sweetly over the phone in Kushi, or the “Un Per Solla” song and the subsequent cliff scene in Minsara Kanna. While any other actor might have imbued these moments solely with romance — adding, at best, a dash of masculinity — Vijay approached them quite differently.

His performances were marked by cuteness and compassion. He spoke softly, and his voice lacked the deep bass of many other men. His body language and expressions exuded both innocence and mischief, akin to a little boy, endearing him to audiences and making him the “Ilam Thendral” of the industry.

Vijay and Shalini in Kadhalukku Mariyadhai. (Express archive photo)

Let’s also not forget that the only Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor Vijay ever got was for his performance in Kadhalukku Mariyadhai, a romantic drama directed by Fazil.

As time passed, he began taking on larger-than-life roles far too frequently to push him to stardom, initially earning the sobriquet “Ilaya Thalapathy” and later “Thalapathy.” However, Vijay occasionally returned to being the “guy-next-door in love” in light-hearted romantic comedies like Vaseegara (2003) and Sachein (2005), as well as in masala entertainers like Ghilli (2004). Even after all these years, “Vijay in love” remains one of the favourite movie genres for his fans.