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Vijaykant - 25 years in cinema
 It was the period when Rajinikant was steadily zooming up the ladder of success. When a lean, dark man from Madurai entered the glamour world of
films, it was rough going for him, being ridiculed as the poor man's Rajinikant. It's a quarter of a century since. He may not have become a superstar. But he's still around, is one of the most popular heroes going, and in fact
head and shoulders above the rest of his contemporaries. Vijaykant sure has come a long way, since he first faced the camera for 'Inikkum Ilamai', directed by the late M. A. Kaja. And it was Kaja who rechristened Vijayraj as
Vijaykant.
Producer-director Ramanarayanan whose association with the actor goes back to 30
years and who has directed him in 13 films, says, "I wrote the story for Vijaykant's first film, and knew him even before he entered films. What is admirable about him is his tenacity and single-mindedness. When he was going through a lean patch and had no films, he was offered roles of the bad-man by some big banners. But he refused them all, and finally his patience and determination paid!"
Ramanarayanan also speaks about Vijaykant's simplicity and generosity. "He's simple and
down-to-earth, and a real human being among actors. He gives value to friendship. He's the only actor to have got the 'Best Citizen' award from the Indian
government!" gushes the director. Best friend Ibrahim Rowther, who accompanied Vijaykant from Madurai to Chennai and is still his closest friend, will vouch for that.
 In a career spanning 25 years, the actor,
in his late forties, is on to his 142nd film, and is still going strong. Ask Ramanarayanan about Vijaykant's
staying power and he replies, "It's his ability to redefine his characters over the years, according to the trends. He can tackle action roles, political subjects and sentimental family dramas with equal panache." The director cites the actor's roles and performance in films like 'Sattam Oru Iruttarai', 'Captain Prabhakaran' and more recent films like
'Vanathappola' and
'Ramana'.
Yet another film-maker who played a major part in moulding the hero's career was undoubtedly S. A. Chandrasekhar. And Vijaykant would be the last to deny it. When the actor's career was going through a bad patch, with no films in his kitty, it was Chandrasekhar who came forward and offered him the lead role in his films. The actor took off from there, and has never looked back since. The director's films like 'Sattam Oru Iruttarai' and 'Sakshi' portrayed Vijaykant as an action-hero, a crusader for human rights, a messiah of the
downtrodden. And it's this image which the actor carries till date, which has endeared him to the common man, earning him a large fan following in the bargain.
 It's not only his fans, the actor is quite popular with his industry colleagues too. As the
president of the Artistes Association twice-running, elected unopposed the second time, he's prompt in looking into the grievances of artistes and bringing about a quick solution. Wielding enormous clout, one wonders whether any other actor could have managed to bring together all the artistes, including the normally reclusive Rajinikant, for
star nites at Singapore and Malaysia. It is during his tenure that the association finally managed to settle the long-pending dues running to a few crores
of rupees, which the association had borrowed a couple of decades ago to construct the 'Nadigar Sangam' building.
A question that crops up often is about Vijaykant's intention regarding a political career. His designing a flag for his
fans association, the political innuendos and lines in his films, only helped foster the rumour that the actor would soon plunge into politics. The outspoken actor has never tried to evade the question whenever it was popped to him. But he does express his reservations admitting that politics is a tough game, and needs preparation at the grassroots-level. He says, "The daily problems I've had to tackle in my fans association is a big enough headache for me! Politics is a more complex issue!" But the actor has never ruled out the possibility of entering politics.
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