Actor Ajith Kumar, who has spent years deliberately distancing himself from the traditional star-fan machinery of Tamil cinema, is facing an unusual backlash after releasing a video asking fans to support his racing team at the upcoming Michelin Le Mans Cup race in Portugal. A significant section of Ajith’s fan base has responded by throwing his own words back at him.
In the video, released ahead of the October 9-10 race at the Portimao circuit in Portugal, Ajith Kumar addressed his fans directly. “I expect all your support. Love you all,” he said.
#WATCH | “உங்க அன்பும், ஆதரவும் வேண்டும்” -போர்ச்சுகலில் நடக்கும் கார் பந்தயத்திற்கு ஆதரவு கோரி வீடியோ வெளியிட்ட ரேஸர் அஜித்குமார்
#SunNews | #AjithKumarRacing | #Portugal https://t.co/iD1qUWffos
— Sun News (@sunnewstamil) October 7, 2026
While many fans offered encouragement, the comments section turned into a pointed referendum on Ajith’s complicated relationship with his own fan base, and the contradiction between an actor who has spent years telling his fans to stay away now asking them to show up. “I want to see my family, brother!” one fan wrote under the video.
Another responded: “When we were interested, you said you did not want support. But now when we are looking after our family, you are asking for support?” A third wrote: “Sorry, Thala, no time. I am going to work. I love my family.”
What happened?
The responses came from fans who reminded Ajith Kumar of his own longstanding position on fan clubs and fan culture. For years, the actor has told his followers to focus on their families, their careers and their personal lives rather than spending time and energy on celebrity worship. He dissolved his official fan club years ago, saying he did not want to profit from his fans’ devotion. He has largely avoided fan meetings, exclusive gatherings, film launch events and most of the rituals that come with being a major Tamil star.
His fans, for the most part, accepted that distance. It became part of the Ajith identity: the actor who lets his work speak for him. But when the same actor who told them to go home and take care of their families released a video asking for their support at a racing event in Portugal, the irony was not lost on them.
Ajith-Vijay connection
The other thread running through the comments was Ajith Kumar’s reunion with CM Vijay at the Silverstone race in September. During the Michelin Le Mans Cup round at the Silverstone circuit last month, Vijay had travelled from Tamil Nadu to support Ajith at the race. Vijay waved the green flag to start the race and later shared a warm hug with Ajith at the circuit. Photographs and videos of the two together, after years of their respective fan bases treating each other as enemies, were widely celebrated in the media and by moderate fans on both sides.
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But the reunion also left a section of Ajith Kumar’s core fan base feeling unsettled. For over two decades, the Vijay-Ajith rivalry had been one of Tamil cinema’s most intense fan wars. When Ajith publicly embraced Vijay at Silverstone, some fans felt the ground shift beneath them. The Portugal video brought those feelings back to the surface. “Ask your friend Vijay for support,” one commenter wrote. Another added: “I want to see our family too, Thala. Live and let live.”
Vijay and Ajith Kumar pose during the Michelin Le Mans Cup round at the Silverstone circuit.
One particularly pointed response referenced both the Vijay reunion and an incident at the same Silverstone event where Ajith had lost his temper at a fan who approached him for a selfie. “When you supported Vijay, I lost the respect I had for you. You do not allow us to take a selfie, but you allowed Vijay to sit on your car for a photoshoot. Tell us fairly,” the fan wrote.
The selfie incident at Silverstone
The Silverstone backlash had already created tension before the Portugal video. During the September race, a fan approached Ajith at the circuit and attempted to take a selfie with him. Ajith reacted harshly, losing his temper at the intrusion. The moment was captured on video and circulated widely on social media
On the racing front, Ajith will compete at the Portimao circuit on October 9-10 as part of the Michelin Le Mans Cup season. His team has been competing regularly across European circuits through 2026, with Silverstone being the most high-profile round so far.
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Also Read: ‘Even Lewis Hamilton won’t do this’: Ajith slammed over video of him losing cool with a fan
On the film front, Ajith Kumar’s next release is Gladiators: In Pursuit of Challenges, a documentary that offers an inside look at his life as a racer and the passion that has driven him to compete professionally at the highest level of motorsport.
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