Vijay did it. Can Dhanush crack Tamil Nadu politics too? His films hold clues

For years, Dhanush's political ambitions have existed largely in the realm of speculation. Now, his name has been pulled directly into Tamil Nadu's political battle — by the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) no less. At a campaign meeting in Dharapuram ahead of the October 6 bypoll, DMK MP Kanimozhi took a swipe at Chief Minister Vijay over TVK's alleged failure to deliver on some of its election promises. In doing so, she invoked Dhanush's 2014 film Velaiyilla Pattadhari and delivered a line that instantly caught attention: while the promised Rs 4,000 for unemployed graduates had not arrived, "Dhanush has come to politics."

The remark was clearly built around the title of Dhanush's blockbuster, in which he played Raghuvaran, an unemployed engineering graduate struggling to find work. But the political subtext was harder to miss. Dhanush, an actor whose political entry has been discussed repeatedly over the years, was suddenly being placed in the same frame as Vijay — the former superstar who successfully made the leap from cinema to electoral politics and is now Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister.

So, the question almost writes itself: could Dhanush actually pull off a Vijay in Tamil Nadu politics? The answer, at least for now, is complicated.Dhanush already has the star power

If celebrity is the starting point, Dhanush certainly has it. He has spent more than two decades building a career that stretches well beyond the conventional boundaries of Tamil cinema. His films have travelled across languages, his performances have earned national recognition and his popularity extends beyond Tamil Nadu.

More importantly, Dhanush has something particularly useful in Tamil politics: familiarity among younger audiences and a filmography that has repeatedly engaged with issues that sit at the heart of the state's political discourse.

His cinema has dealt with caste, land rights, unemployment, education, police violence, social inequality and the struggles of marginalised communities. In Asuran, he played Sivasamy, a farmer from an oppressed community fighting to retain his land against a dominant-caste landlord. Karnan placed him at the centre of a story about caste discrimination and state violence. Vaathi revolved around the battle over access to quality education, while Velaiyilla Pattadhari spoke directly about the frustrations of unemployed graduates.

That is an unusually political filmography for an actor who has never formally positioned himself as a politician. And it is precisely here that the comparison with Vijay becomes interesting.Dhanush's films and his political groundwork

Vijay's political journey did not begin when he launched Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in 2024. His fan network had been functioning for years before that, gradually turning from a conventional fan club structure into a grassroots organisation involved in welfare activities, constituency-level work and local elections. By the time he entered electoral politics, the organisational groundwork was already in place.

Dhanush's story is not quite the same.

His fan clubs have been active for years and have participated in activities including blood donation drives, educational assistance and other welfare initiatives. A fan event in Tiruvallur in July also triggered renewed political speculation after Dhanush asked his supporters to move beyond celebratory gatherings and channel their collective strength towards welfare work.Dhanush na Recent speechPalaya Dhanush is back #DhanushBloodDonationCamp #OM pic.twitter.com/IZ5mCKh0Ev— (@1amtiredd) July 26, 2026

But there is a crucial difference: a fan base is not the same thing as a political organisation. Dhanush has not announced a party, political ideology, electoral roadmap or formal political movement. There is no equivalent, at present, of the machinery Vijay had built through the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (a welfare organisation). That may be the biggest gap between the two.Can Dhanush build a political image?

When Vijay entered politics, he was not starting from zero. His organisation had already developed a presence across Tamil Nadu, with members involved in welfare initiatives and local-level electoral activity. That gave TVK something more valuable than celebrity appeal: an existing network capable of being converted into political machinery.

Dhanush would have to build much of that from scratch. His supporters can mobilise crowds. They can organise welfare programmes. They can make his speeches viral. But an election requires far more than that: constituency-level networks, booth management, voter outreach, local leadership, candidates, funding and an organisation capable of staying active between election cycles.

Dhanush's fan clubs would have to evolve into something far more structured before the Vijay comparison becomes politically meaningful.What is Dhanush's advantage?

Dhanush's strongest political asset may not be his fan clubs at all. It may be the characters he has played.

Vada Chennai delved into the political-criminal nexus and the struggles of a community caught in a cycle of violence and displacement. Captain Miller explored rebellion against colonial oppression, with Dhanush playing a former soldier who turns against the British after witnessing the exploitation of his people. Kodi put him directly inside electoral politics, exploring the clash between political idealism and the compromises of power.

Pudhupettai followed the rise of an impoverished young man through Chennai's criminal underworld, while Aadukalam explored class hierarchies, rivalry and the struggles of people on society's margins. More recently, Raayan placed Dhanush in a violent power struggle involving family, loyalty and competing forces within a community.

Taken individually, these are simply films. Taken together, they create an interesting political vocabulary around Dhanush. His screen persona has repeatedly been that of the ordinary man pushed against a powerful system, and then choosing to fight back.

That is an image political movements have historically found useful.Will Dhanush eventually enter politics?

The latest speculation began after his public remarks at a fan event, where he urged supporters to convert their unity into welfare activity. Around the same period, his fan organisation unveiled a flag carrying his image and the slogan "Ennampol Than Vaazhkai" (life is as your thoughts are), while his father, filmmaker Kasthuri Raja, was asked about the possibility of Dhanush entering politics. He did not rule out the possibility, saying that anyone has the right to enter politics.

But Dhanush himself has not announced a political entry. That distinction matters.

Vijay's transition eventually became unmistakable because the political project acquired a name, a party, a flag, an ideology, an organisation and an electoral objective. With Dhanush, those pieces remain speculative.

Kanimozhi's latest remark may have amplified the conversation, but it is not confirmation of Dhanush's plans.Can he occupy the space Vijay left behind?

Vijay's entry into politics fundamentally altered Tamil Nadu's political landscape. TVK emerged as a major political force, while the traditional DMK-AIADMK contest was joined by a new player with a strong cinema connection.

Dhanush would therefore not be entering the same political landscape Vijay encountered. He would be entering one in which Vijay is already an established political figure. That makes a direct replication of the Vijay model much harder.

If Dhanush were to launch a party now, he would have to answer an obvious question: what political space is he trying to occupy that Vijay does not?

His cinema offers some clues. His strongest screen associations are with caste dignity, social justice, education, employment, rural inequality and resistance to entrenched power. That could potentially form the foundation of a political identity centred on social equity and representation. But a filmography cannot substitute for an ideology.

At some point, Dhanush would have to tell voters what he believes beyond the roles he has played.From Raghuvaran to a politician Dhanush?

There is an irony in Kanimozhi choosing Velaiyilla Pattadhari to target Vijay. Raghuvaran was an unemployed graduate frustrated by a system that seemed to have little use for his education. More than a decade later, the character has been dragged into an entirely different political conversation — one involving an actor who may or may not be contemplating a political career.

And perhaps that is why Kanimozhi's remark landed so effectively.

Dhanush has spent years playing men who question the system, challenge entrenched power and speak for people who feel ignored by it. His films have already given audiences a vocabulary of resistance. His fans have already demonstrated their ability to mobilise. And now, a senior political leader has effectively placed him opposite Vijay in a public political argument.

But there is still a considerable distance between playing the man who fights the system and becoming the man who wants to run it.

Vijay crossed that distance. But, Dhanush's journey is yet to begin.

For now, the actor remains exactly that: an actor whose political potential is being discussed more loudly than his political intentions. Whether he can pull off a Vijay will not depend on another powerful speech, another viral fan video or another politically charged film.

It will depend on whether Dhanush is willing to give up the safety of political symbolism and build the one thing Tamil Nadu elections ultimately demand: a political organisation with a clear ideology and a reason for voters to choose it.- Ends