The ‘Kutty Story’ phenomenon: How Vijay prepared voters with his audio launch speeches

“I shall bash honorable enactment for radical from each walks of life,” said the hero, hands stretched, earlier raising 1 and curling it into a fist arsenic helium went, “I solemnly affirm, swearing upon God.” Before you mistake it for a country from a Tamil movie — the juncture was so cinematic, successful a consciousness — this was a infinitesimal from erstwhile Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam main C Joseph Vijay took the oath arsenic the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu connected May 10 astatine a packed Nehru Indoor Stadium successful Chennai. Everything astir the superstar-turned-politician’s travel has been thing retired of a blockbuster. Still, societal media has peculiarly taken enactment of however Vijay channelled the interior performer successful him during the oath-taking ceremony. If that weren’t enough, everything that followed the oath would person made fans reminisce astir his cinema persona, particularly for those grappling with the thought that they would nary longer get to spot him connected the large screen.

Vijay’s dramatic speech reminded everyone of the respective speeches helium delivered implicit the years astatine the audio motorboat ceremonies of his films, galore of which were held astatine the aforesaid venue. “En ninjil kudi irukkum ungal anaivarukkum en vanakkam,” the prima began, arsenic helium had done aggregate times, prompting a roar of applause from the crowd.

Vijay’s speeches person ever been well-structured. Charismatic, yes. But besides arsenic pensive arsenic these events let them to be. Though they look impromptu, they each travel suit, to motivate his fans and beforehand the film, portion subsequently increasing his assemblage base.

These speeches person besides offered a keen position into a prima who has different been reluctant. In immoderate cases, helium has offered tidbits astir his ain personality: “I person an affectional side, which adjacent my adjacent ones accidental I should unfastened up and amusement the world. But I don’t bash that. Perhaps it’s a manufacturing defect,” helium said earlier the merchandise of Beast. He often uses these spaces to sermon however helium views life, victory, and his vocation successful cinema. And determination person been countless times erstwhile helium has addressed the criticisms helium has faced successful his journey, thing helium said, during Puli, helium uses arsenic “petrol that fuels him but not arsenic an ember that would destruct him”.

Even however Vijay praises his colleagues successful his speeches, would amusement a flair for storytelling. “I utilized to ticker wildlife shows connected the Discovery Channel, and successful those shows, erstwhile a tiger is connected the hunt, it would azygous retired a prey from its herd and pursuit aft it with each it has got.” Wonder wherefore helium was narrating this communicative earlier the merchandise of Theri? “If that prey is ‘victory,’ shaper Kalaipuli S Thanu is the relentless tiger successful pursuit.”

Taking to the signifier during the promotions of Mersal, Vijay advised his fans to ‘ignore negativity,’ an proposal that has since go a staple successful his speeches and has been wide considered arsenic the star’s plea to halt online instrumentality wars. “ Wouldn’t beingness go boring if everyone liked us? Only if immoderate radical don’t similar america would beingness consciousness entertaining and exciting.” His loudest plea against instrumentality wars came during the audio motorboat of Bigil, successful which helium narrated a communicative astir erstwhile Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MG Ramachandran, an idol who Vijay often references successful his speeches. “I erstwhile heard a communicative astir MGR. He was campaigning for elections, during which a curate from his party, successful an effort to praise MGR, kept putting down Kalaignar (former Chief Minister MK Karunanidhi). MGR got truthful upset and said, ‘I person a batch of governmental differences with Kalaignar, but he’s a immense governmental leader. You shouldn’t beryllium talking astir him similar this,’ earlier dropping and leaving the curate stranded successful the road. So helium knew however to respect adjacent his rivals.” And possibly that’s the respect Vijay is showing his governmental rivals; connected May 11, a time aft helium became the Chief Minister, Vijay greeted 4 of his governmental opponents, including erstwhile Chief Minister MK Stalin, the lad of the precocious Karunanidhi — a motion that has been accepted arsenic a invited alteration adjacent by his opponents.

It whitethorn adjacent beryllium the lawsuit that helium doesn’t spot them arsenic his competitors. While helium has mentioned his rival successful cinema, Ajith Kumar, astatine a mates of instances, helium famously said who helium thinks is his rival successful the audio motorboat of Varisu: “In the 1990s, a leader came up arsenic my competition. Afraid of him and his success, I excessively started to tally and make myself. Wherever I went, helium excessively followed. And helium was the crushed for my emergence to this level. Trying to surpass him, I kept connected moving hard and competing with him. You each should person specified a rival arsenic well. That rival entered the movie manufacture successful 1992. His sanction was Joseph Vijay.”

Vijay has ever been a prima who has enjoyed tremendous occurrence amongst the younker of Tamil Nadu, and the orator successful him has ever pandered to the younker successful a connection they find appealing. Be it “Usupethravan kitta ummunum, kadupethravan kitta gammunum irundha, vaazhkai jammunu irukkumaam,” which would suffer retired its essence successful a translation, oregon “Kill them with your success. Bury them with your smile,” these portions successful his speeches besides person immoderate punchlines from the prima that person go trends implicit the years. “I gave an interrogation immoderate 10 years agone that was misreported by the media. So I decided to halt giving interviews. Instead, I started collating my thoughts and speaking them retired large astatine these audio launches,” Vijay opened up once.

All that said, however, the biggest item of Vijay’s speeches is the morality tales helium tells his audiences arsenic ‘Kutty Stories,’ which purpose to thrust location a constituent creatively. Be it a communicative astir Chinese revolutionary Mao to talk astir humility (during Theri), oregon 1 astir a angiosperm store idiosyncratic who finds a occupation astatine a firecracker mill (Bigil), oregon a member who explains what affection means to his sister (Varisu), these stories turned retired to captivate his audiences truthful overmuch that Anirudh Ravichander went connected to adjacent marque a opus astir it successful Master. And 1 happening helium has ever repeated portion giving advice: Take it if they are useful, permission it if they aren’t. Something that adjacent became a lyric successful the ‘Kutty Story’ song: ‘Let maine archer a kutty story, wage attention, perceive to me. If you want, instrumentality it, oregon else, permission it, nary request for tension, baby….Life is precise short, my friend. Always beryllium happy.”

The Kutty Stories of speeches for Bigil and Sarkar both hinted, not truthful subtly, astatine the eventual governmental plunge helium took. The 1 from Sarkar spoke against corruption and however the ones successful powerfulness should instrumentality up work for a corruption-free society.

Vijay has ever praised his fans and the activities of his societal payment organisation, Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, successful these speeches, validating and empowering them. Before the merchandise of Varisu, helium praised his fans for participating successful his humor donation initiative, stating, “Blood is that 1 that doesn’t spot caste, creed, class, oregon religion.” While appreciating them for their societal services astatine the Leo success meet, the prima drew inspiration from MGR to chalk retired his imaginativeness for the future. “Many, galore years ago, erstwhile AVM Saravanan of AVM Productions offered an aged woman a Rs 100 note, she blessed him, saying, ‘You volition agelong live, MGR.’ So, astatine that point, radical assumed that anyone who did them bully was MGR. That’s the sanction helium had. I americium not comparing myself. But I person a tiny wish. In the future, whenever idiosyncratic does a bully deed, I privation it to person been done by our boys.”

From mentioning the value of situation reforms earlier Puli to mentioning the decease of Chennai-based technologist Subhasri owed to an amerciable hoarding that fell connected her, Vijay has often utilized these platforms to besides dependable retired societal issues. During a peculiar pre-release interrogation helium gave to Beast director Nelson — erstwhile the COVID-19 pandemic prevented each possibilities of a nationalist event— Vijay called to attraction the decease of an 11-year-old lad successful a shooting incidental astatine a shooting scope successful Pasumalaipatti. “A akin incidental happened successful Perambalur. These ranges utilized to beryllium situated extracurricular the town, but owed to the hold of these towns, they are present successful oregon adjacent residential areas. So we should determination these ranges, oregon usage computer-simulated grooming practice,” suggested Vijay. In 2015, erstwhile serial piracy of the latest releases perilled Tamil cinema, Vijay took a basal against piracy successful his code up of Puli.

Just earlier today, the Chief Minister announced the closure of 717 TASMAC vino shops located wrong 500 metres of acquisition institutions and places of worship crossed the State wrong 2 weeks. Hear what helium said successful his code during the Leo occurrence meet. Using it arsenic an illustration to mention that audiences should instrumentality the champion retired of his films and disregard the rest, helium said, “There are vino shops adjacent en way to schools and colleges, but that doesn’t mean students portion earlier they spell to their classes. They cognize what to instrumentality and what to ignore,” which showed his disdain with the determination of immoderate of the TASMAC shops.

He powerfully signalled his governmental entranceway earlier the merchandise of Sarkar, professing however it’s earthy for a person to look retired of a crisis, “like however it rains erstwhile there’s humidity,” and that the Government nether that person would beryllium the existent sarkar. In 2024, erstwhile asked astir what 2026 meant to him, the prima replied, “Cup’u mukkiyam Bigil’u,” a dialog from his movie Bigil, to suggest his introduction into electoral politics.

It’s 2026 now, and the cupful has reached Bigil.