The news of Tamil superstar Vijay’s retirement from acting sent shockwaves across the Indian cinema scene. The actor is regarded as one of the biggest stars in Tamil cinema currently, if not the biggest. He is also the highest-paid Indian actor currently. But his next two films will be his final. The reason was that like many south superstars before him, Vijay too, is taking a plunge into politics, forming his own party.
Thalapathy Vijay, the highest-paid actor in India
Vijay had long been the reigning king of box office in Kollywood, sharing the crown with Ajith Kumar and to an extent Rajinikanth. But as his films did wonders one after the other, the actor’s stature increased pan-India. For his most recent release Leo, Vijay – known as Thalapathy among his fans – charged Rs 125 crore as per reports, making him the highest-paid actor in India ahead of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Prabhas, and Rajni. The reason was his stellar box office record. All of Vijay’s previous nine films – dating back to eight years ago – have been successes. These include Theri, Bairavaa, Mersal, Sarkar, Bigil, Master, Beast, Varisu, and Leo. In 2023, Vijay’s two films grossed Rs 900 crore combined. Trade sources say that over the course of his career, his 67 films have grossed over Rs 4000 crore at the box office.
Thalapathy Vijay’s new political party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam
On Friday, February 2, Vijay took to social media to announce that he was entering politics full time and shared the news about the formation of his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. The announcement was carried along with reports that his planned film Thalapathy 69 mark his final screen appearance. There is no release windown for the film but it is expected to release sometime in 2025. Before that, Vijay will be seen in The Greatest of All Time, which is directed by Venkat Prabhu.
Vijay in The Greatest of All Time
For now, Vijay continues to wrap up his pending projects, the penultimate of which is The Greatest of All Time. The film, an aerial action adventure, features Vijay in double roles, along with an ensemble cast featuring Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Sneha, Laila, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Parvati Nair, Mohan, Jayaram, Ajmal Ameer, Yogi Babu, VTV Ganesh, Vaibhav, Premgi Amaren, Aravind Akash, and Ajay Raj. The film is currently being shot in various legs and is slated to be released later this year.
