Tamil Superstar To Assembly LoP: A Look Back At Life Of Actor-Politician Vijayakanth

Actor-politician and founder of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), Narayanan Vijayaraj Alagarswami popularly known as Vijayakanth passed away on Thursday at the age of 71. Image Source: Facebook

Vijayakanth gained fame as 'Puratchi Kalaignar', or 'revolutionary artist', courtesy his multiple hits delving into crucial topics, such as corruption, injustice faced by the common man, and the like. Image Source: ABP Nadu/Special Arrangement

He was a master of South Indian cinema, especially the Tamil film industry, and in recognition of his stature, he came to be known as the 'Captain', a designation that remained with him. Image Source: ABP Nadu/Special Arrangement

Vijayakanth carved a niche for himself with patriotic films that include 'Sethupathi IAS', 'Pulan Visaranai', 'Chatriyan', 'Maanagara Kaaval', 'Captain Prabhakaran', 'Thayagam', 'Ulavuthurai', 'Ramana', 'Vallarasu' and 'Vaanchinathan'. Image Source: ABP Nadu/Special Arrangement

In 2005, he founded DMDK and the party contested its first poll in 2006 assembly elections with Vijayakanth as the lone winner. In 2016, Vijayakanth became the Leader of Opposition. Image Source: PTI

Besides being a celebrated actor and a politician, Vijayakanth also established an engineering college and set up a television channel named Captain TV. Image Source: Facebook

Vijayakanth was suffering from Covid-19 and was on ventilator before succumbing to the infection. Prominent political leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin condoled his demise. Image Source: Facebook