Five Trivia About “Captain” Vijayakanth, Who Wore Several Caps

New Delhi: The founder of DMDK, Captain Vijayakanth, passed away today. Throughout his lengthy public career, he played a variety of roles, from a hero pulling off amazing deeds and defeating a mob of criminals by himself to shocking political commentators by subduing more powerful political forces.

These five facts about the “Captain” with several caps
1952 saw the birth of Vijayakanth as Narayanan Vijayaraj Alagarswami in Madurai. During his acting career, he added ‘kanth’ to his name instead of ‘raj’. Regarding the term “Captain,” it originated from his role as a forest officer in the 1991 film Captain Prabhakaran. He wed Premalatha in 1990, and she would later assist him in his political endeavors.

In a political environment when the DMK and AIADMK ruled Tamil Nadu, Vijayakanth created the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) in 2005. In the 2006 Assembly votes, which marked the party’s first electoral test, only Vijayakanth emerged victorious. Even with the lone win, DMDK succeeded in stirring up some political agitation in the state.

The greatest election for DMDK turned out to be the state elections in 2011. In order to run for 41 seats that year, Vijayakanth formed an alliance with the AIADMK. It was able to win more than the DMK, with 29 victories. After Vijayakanth was elected Leader of the Opposition, he held that role till 2016.

Vijayakanth and DMDK were disappointed with the results of the following election. In the 2016 election, the senior leader lost both the election and the deposit. His group also came up empty. When running in coalition with the BJP and AIADMK in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the DMDK was unable to turn around its political fortunes. Vijayakanth had been unwell for a few years and had maintained a low profile. Premalatha, his wife, had been in charge of the party’s business.
In addition to his exciting professions as an actor and politician, Vijayakanth established Captain TV, a television station, and an engineering college. Additionally, he presided over the South Indian Film Artistes’ Association as its president.