3 min readHyderabadUpdated: Jun 22, 2026 02:37 PM IST
Moments after taking the oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in May 2026, Vijay turned to his father and asked a simple question, whether he had finally made his father’s dream come true. The answer, by his mother’s account, was a nodding yes, closing a loop that had been open in the family for close to two decades.
Shobha Chandrasekhar, mother of the Chief Minister and wife of filmmaker S.A. Chandrasekhar, has now spoken about that exchange and the years leading up to it Vijay’s political career. According to her, S.A. Chandrasekhar had imagined a political future for the family long before Vijay had any role to play in it, going back to the year Vijay started Vijay Makkal Iyakkam in 2009.
Speaking in an interview with Thanthi TV, Shobha recalled their fears while Vijay decided to enter politics and fight elections, “We knew many tried and failed in politics, while others aimed for the CM post and were not able to do it either, but after seeing Vijay’s fanbase in the state, we got the confidence that Vijay has a sure shot,”
Also Read: From ‘Ilaya Thalapathy’ to Chief Minister: The unusual journey of Vijay
The road between that 2009 welfare initiative and the chief minister’s chair in 2026 was not without friction within the family itself. In 2020, Chandrasekhar attempted to register the organisation as a political party without informing his son, naming himself general secretary and Shobha as treasurer. Vijay publicly distanced himself from that move at the time, before the relationship was repaired. By the time TVK won the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly election, taking 108 of 234 seats in its first outing, Shobha Chandrasekhar was again speaking publicly and warmly about his son’s success.
Criticism over acting and politics
“My family felt bad looking at all the criticism he got when he entered politics. We could draw parallels to time when he entered the film industry and he faced criticism for that. However, he kept silent throughout every journey of his and took everything positively, leading to his success.” she remarked.
When asked about how he thought he would manage acting and politics, Shobha answered, “Vijay was very clear on being only in one field. So, since the beginning it was either acting or politics,”
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She added that the family had grown used to public gossip and speculation over the years, saying it no longer affects them the way it once did. Her comments come at a time when the actor, sworn in as the ninth Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 10, continues to draw attention both for his policy decisions and for the personal story behind his unusual transition from one of Tamil cinema’s biggest stars to the state’s top elected office.
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