Vijayakanth Laid To Rest With Full State Honours At DMDK Office In Chennai

The final rites of Vijayakanth were attended by Tamil Nadu CM Stalin, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and Ministers Ma Subramanian Udhayanidhi Stalin and Thangam Thennarasu.

Vijayakanth, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) President and former Tamil Nadu Opposition leader, was laid to rest at the party office in Chennai on Friday. The actor-politician was accorded full state honors during the funeral, marked by a salute of 72 fired bullets in the air. The final rites of Vijayakanth were attended by Tamil Nadu CM Stalin, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and Ministers Ma Subramanian, Udhayanidhi Stalin and Thangam Thennarasu.

Actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth passed away at a private hospital in Chennai at the age of 71 on Thursday. In a press release, MIOT International Hospital said: "Captain Vijayakanth was on ventilatory support following his admission for pneumonia. Despite the best efforts of the medical staff, he passed away in the morning on 28th December 2023."

After DMDK founder's passing in a private hospital, Vijayakanth's mortal remains were brought to his residence and subsequently taken to the DMDK party office in Koyambedu for public homage. On Friday morning, Vijayakanth's remains were shifted to Island Grounds in Chennai. His final procession started at 2.30 PM and the final rites started at 6 PM at DMDK party office.

Leaders from various political sphere, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, P. Chidambaram, K. S. Alagiri, K. Annamalai, Prof KM Khader Mohideen, Kamal Haasan, and representatives from Left parties, Pattali Makkal Katchi, and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, expressed condolences.

Beyond celebrities, ordinary citizens, party members, fans, and admirers formed long queues in various corners of Koyambedu to bid farewell. Police faced challenges in crowd management, and by evening, thousands had paid their respects, echoing continuous chants of 'captain, captain.'

In the realm of Tamil cinema, numerous individuals and artists fondly remember him as a generous icon. Actor Sonu Sood went a step further, acknowledging that he owes his career to Vijayakanth.