That familiar arrival — head tilted, collar tugged, sunglasses lifted, arms folded above the head — is coming to an end. Leaving no room for doubt, Thalapathy has announced a full stop to his acting career. Vijay once again reiterated his retirement announcement at the audio launch of ‘Jananaayakan’, labelled as his final film.

“For the fans who sacrificed everything for me, I am giving up cinema. Jananaayakan, releasing for Pongal, will be my last film. I am retiring from acting. Let us move forward with confidence… only good will happen… success is certain,” Vijay said, addressing a sea of fans at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, where the audio launch was held.

Vijay electrified the audience at the event by singing and dancing. He danced to the song ‘Thalapathy Kacheri…’ from the upcoming film. The track, composed by Anirudh Ravichander, was sung by Vijay along with Anirudh and Arivu. Vijay also sang ‘Verithanam…’, the chartbuster from his superhit film Bigil. After the Malaysia event, Vijay flew to Chennai, where fans overwhelmed him with affection, even causing him to stumble amid the crowd at the airport.
 

After Rajinikanth, there is arguably no other star in Tamil cinema today who can excite fans as much with his smile and style. Once, when asked about his choice of films, Vijay said: “Many say my films follow a similar narrative, and I am aware of that. But when I hear a story, I only think about whether my audience will have something to celebrate in theatres.”

Vijay’s farewell announcement has deeply disappointed Tamil audiences who have always welcomed his films with enthusiasm. Born Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, he entered cinema holding the hand of his father, a director and producer. After debuting as a child artist, he made his mark as a lead actor at 18 with Naalaiya Theerpu. He gained attention with Poove Unakkaga and won the State Award with Kaadhalukku Mariyaadai, the Tamil remake of Aniyathipravu. Films like Priyamudan, Thulladha Manamum Thullum and Kushi established him as a romantic hero before he swiftly shifted gears.

His transition from a chocolate hero to an action star was rapid. Audiences soon embraced an intense Vijay — a lone warrior fighting for family, friendship and justice. His move into action cinema culminated in ‘Ghilli’, which elevated him to superstardom. The film shattered box-office records in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Malaysia, surpassing even Rajinikanth’s ‘Padayappa’.
 

A string of crowd-pullers followed —’Madurey’, ‘Thirupaachi’, ‘Pokkiri’, ‘Vettaikaaran’, ‘Sivakasi’, ‘Kaavalan’ and ‘Vill’. Critics later accused him of repetitive saviour roles and declared the “Vijay era” over. Yet, like his on-screen characters, Vijay rose again from setbacks.

In recent years, Vijay has clearly been preparing for a political entry. Through his films, he addressed farmers’ issues, women’s rights, corporate exploitation and religious extremism. His public acts — arriving on a bicycle to vote, standing with Jallikattu protesters, visiting the homes of the underprivileged, and promoting girls’ education — also made headlines.
 

Another factor drawing Malayali audiences to ‘Jananaayakan’ is Mamitha Baiju, who plays a key role, as revealed by director H Vinoth in a recent interview. The first show of Vijay’s final film will begin at 6 am in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, while Tamil Nadu will see its first show at 9 am. The film also features Bobby Deol, Pooja Hegde, Prakash Raj, Gautham Vasudev Menon and Priyamani in major roles. Produced by KVN Productions, ‘Jananaayakan’ is set for a Pongal release.