Thalapathy Vijay has had an impressive career as an A-lister of Tamil cinema over the years. The actor, who has been hinting at his political ambitions through his films, finally took the step to form his own political party, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), in 2024. Now, not only on the political front, the actor is facing serious issues on the film front too.

Vijay announces his latest film, from director H Vinoth Jan NayganThis would be his last film before entering politics full-time. However, the film, which was scheduled for a grand release on January 9, is now embroiled in a legal dispute with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) over non-issue of censor certificate.

Whereas Jan Naygan‘s release is still uncertain, it also takes a look at Vijay’s career, where his films have sparked numerous controversies – financial, ideological and political – which may have taken him a step closer to setting up his own political party.

From his 50th film, suraFor his farewell film, Jan NayganLet’s take a look at those films of Vijay which have been in controversies.

Sura (2010)

Controversy is nothing new for actor Vijay. The first news of the controversy was from 2010 when Vijay’s 50th film, surathe title was Sura – leader. At that time, some sections had raised objections regarding the tagline of the film. To avoid further complications, the makers decided to remove the tagline and release the film as is. sura.

Being Vijay’s 50th film, sura Increased expectations were seen among the fans. However, the film received negative reviews and was a box office disappointment.

Kavalan (2011)

in 2011, KavalanStarring Vijay and Asin, it was running at a loss due to financial problems. sura. The film’s producer Ramesh Babu filed a complaint against the distributor Shakti Chidambaram. He accused Chidambaram of making criminal threats and trying to embezzle Rs 2.75 crore which was to be paid to Sun TV for the satellite rights of the film.

Also with the participation of Sun TV Aadukalam (produced by Sun Pictures) is scheduled for release on January 14, with many alleging that the ruling DMK was behind the chaos as the party had strong ties with Sun Network. Reportedly, Vijay took help from J Jayalalitha, whose AIADMK was in the opposition, for a smooth release. Although the initial shows were cancelled, the film was released in the evening.

Thuppakki (2012)

Director AR Murugadoss Thuppakki An iconic film in Vijay’s career. However, the film faced protests from Muslim organizations who alleged that the film had hurt their sentiments and portrayed the community in a negative light.

As the protests intensified, AR Murugadoss, producer Thanu and Vijay’s father SA Chandrashekhar apologized to around 23 Muslim organizations and reportedly agreed to remove scenes that hurt religious sentiments.

Thalaivaa (2013)

Thalaiva When Vijay faced intense pressure due to political reasons. The release of the film was delayed by a week. The film’s tagline, Time to Lead, created a huge uproar on the political front. Reportedly, J Jayalalitha, former Chief Minister of the then ruling AIADMK, had expressed her unhappiness over the tagline.

Vijay later released a video explaining the issues related to the release Thalaiva and talked about “unforeseen circumstances” that contributed to the delay. He also told theater owners about receiving threatening letters from unknown people. In the video, he also talked about seeking an appointment with J Jayalalitha to resolve this issue.

Thalaiva Was released in all other markets except Tamil Nadu. He then appealed to his fans requesting them not to watch the film through pirated CDs and links.

Kaththi (2014)

kathy This was followed by the reunion of Vijay and AR Murugadoss Thuppakki. This time the film faced opposition over the origins of the producers. Since it was financed by Lyca Productions, many pro-Tamil groups protested against it. kathy Laika is a company of Sri Lankan origin.

It was rumored that producer Subaskaran Allirajah of Lyca Productions had alleged links with then Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who played a key role in the 26-year-long Sri Lankan civil war, which deeply affected the Tamil population. Controversy escalated after protesters damaged cinemas, leading to the removal of the Lyca Productions branding.

Puli (2015)

The beginning of 2010 was a testing time for actor Vijay as every film faced problems during or after its release. In 2015, pulley The release faced delays after income tax raids were conducted on the properties of producers Shibu Thamiens and PT Selvakumar over alleged tax evasion.

The morning shows on the first day were canceled due to the IT raid. pulley Released in theaters in the afternoon, it received negative reviews from critics and audiences. Years later, producer PT Selvakumar claimed that pulley Ruined his career. He is no longer a producer in Tamil cinema.

Mersal (2017)

MersalThe film, which released on Diwali 2017, ran into trouble when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) objected to dialogues criticizing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Digital India. At that time, BJP leader H Raja had reportedly turned the political issue into a communal issue by referring to Vijay by his birth name Joseph Vijay. H Raja went a step further and exposed Vijay’s personal information including his voter ID.

In an important scene of Mersal – A film that describes a man building a hospital for his village – Vijay says that in India we pay 12 percent GST for medicine, while there is no GST for liquor. Later in that scene, Vijay also talks about the Gorakhpur tragedy and the power cut in a hospital in Pondicherry.

Mersal The Indian Medical Association also faced criticism for portraying doctors in a bad light. Despite huge controversies, the film was released in theaters on schedule and became one of the biggest hits of Vijay’s career.

Sarkar (2018)

Director AR Murugadoss Government Problems were seen when the Tamil Nadu government accused Vijay and the producers of inciting people by referring to scenes in the film that criticized free culture. Also, it was alleged that the film was defaming former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa by naming her with her alleged original name Komalavalli. The makers of Vijay, bowing to pressure from the ruling Tamil Nadu government Government Now the controversial scenes to which AIADMK had objected have been removed.

Since 2018, Vijay’s films are releasing smoothly till now Jan Naygan happened. With his last film now mired in a censorship battle, the pattern of controversies that marked Vijay’s cinematic journey has come to the fore, perhaps solidifying his decision to transition into full-time politics where he can directly engage with the issues that his films often highlight.