‘He Was A Man Of Great Willpower’: Rajinikanth On Late Actor-politician Vijayakanth

The death of former Tamil actor and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) founder Vijayakanth came as a huge shock to the nation and left everyone in grief. From politicians to celebrities and his fans, everyone is mourning the death of the legendary artist, who passed away a few days after testing positive for Covid-19. Reportedly, actor Rajinikanth postponed the shooting of his upcoming movie Vettaiyan and returned to Chennai to pay his final tributes to Vijayakanth. The superstar, who was shooting for the film in Nagercoil, offered his condolences for the deceased actor and called him a man with great willpower. During an interaction with the media at the Tuticorin airport, Rajinikanth said, “My heart aches. Vijayakanth was a man with great willpower. Lastly, I saw him at the DMDK’s general body meeting and thought he would bounce back after battling his health issues. His death is a huge loss to the people of Tamil Nadu.”

He went on to add, “If he was healthy, he would have been a formidable force in politics. He would have done so many good deeds for the people. People of Tamil Nadu have now lost him. May his soul rest in peace.”

It is pertinent to note that Vijayakanth is survived by his wife, Premalatha, and two sons, Vijaya Prabhakaran and Shanmuga Pandian. Aged 71, the actor made his last public appearance on December 14. On December 26, he visited a private hospital in Chennai for a regular check-up and the public was assured of his good health. Two days later, on December 28, his health condition declined and the actor passed away at approximately 6:30 am.

MIOT International, the hospital where Vijayakanth was admitted, informed that he was battling pneumonia in a press release which said, “Captain Vijayakanth was on ventilatory support following his admission for pneumonia. Despite the best efforts of the medical staff, he passed away in the morning on December 28, 2023.”

Vijayakanth and Rajinikanth never worked together in Tamil films, the duo was extremely fond of each other and shared a great bond. They played cameo roles in a song titled Vangaala Kadale from K Balachander’s film, Manathil Urudhi Vendum.