'TOMORROW'S VERDICT' AWAITS SUPER STAR

IN 1992, when 18-year-old Vijay debuted as a lead actor in the Tamil movie 'Naalaiya Theerpu (Tomorrow's Verdict)' directed by his father S.A. Chandrasekhar and produced by his mother Shoba Chandrasekhar, the response from the reviewers and a section of the public was not what the family expected.

- B ANBUSELVAN & PON VASANTH BA

IN 1992, when 18-year-old Vijay debuted as a lead actor in the Tamil movie 'Naalaiya Theerpu (Tomorrow's Verdict)' directed by his father S A Chandrasekhar and produced by his mother Shoba Chandrasekhar, the response from the reviewers and a section of the public was not what the family expected. Many reviews not only panned the movie, but personally attacked Vijay for his looks and wrote him off.

Over three decades later, the teenager would transform into one of the most bankable superstars of Tamil cinema. He would take a plunge into politics with the first political rally of his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, that saw the biggest gathering of a largely organic crowd in recent memory.