Vijayakanth

Vijayaraj Alagarswami (25 August 1952 – 28 December 2023), better known by his stage name Vijayakanth, was an Indian actor and politician who appeared as a lead in Tamil cinema. He acted in over 150 films in his career spanning four decades. He was well known for his performances in Vaidehi Kathirunthal (1984), Amman Kovil Kizhakale (1986), Poonthotta Kaavalkaaran (1988), Senthoora Poove (1988), Pulan Visaranai (1990), Chinna Gounder (1992), Honest Raj (1994), Thayagam (1996) and Vaanathaippola (2000).

He won two Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. He was awarded the Kalaimamani in 2001, the highest civilian award in Tamil Nadu. For his role in Senthoora Poove, Vijayakanth won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor in 1988. In 1996, he was awarded the Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for his role in Thayagam. He was also the recipient of two Cinema Express Awards and one Filmfare Awards South. Vijayakanth was one of very few Tamil lead actors to have acted only in Tamil films throughout his career. His films have mostly been dubbed into Telugu and Hindi.

He earned several nicknames from fans and co-stars throughout his career. He was nicknamed "Captain" following his 100th film Captain Prabhakaran (1991) and for his transformative leadership as president of the Nadigar Sangam (2000–2006), which, under his presidency, arose from a heavily indebted organisation to a charitable trust that provided benefits and pension to low-income members. Vijayakanth has been credited in films with the title "Puratchi Kalaignar" (revolutionary artist) for often appearing in roles as a law enforcer, vigilante, or village head. He was also nicknamed as "Karuppu M. G. R." in recognition for his humanitarian efforts towards impoverished families and supporting struggling actors in Tamil cinema. Vijayakanth was known for his stance on food equality on film sets, demanding that low-wage cast and crew members must be given the same quality meals that he was served. For a few films, he also accepted deferred remuneration to help struggling producers.

He was known for his "open and bold stance" during his political career. After founding the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) in 2005, he served as an MLA twice, representing the constituencies of Virudhachalam and Rishivandiyam respectively from 2006 to 2016. The DMDK saw early success as it won the second-most seats in the 2011 election and Vijayakanth became the leader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, serving until 2016. He remained leader of the DMDK during his health decline and until his death in 2023. On 26 January 2024, he was posthumously awarded India's third-highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan, by the Government of India.