TVK chief Vijay trips and falls amid fan crowd at Chennai airport

Actor-turned-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay briefly tripped and fell at Chennai airport on Sunday while trying to enter his car, as a large crowd of fans had gathered to welcome him. He was immediately assisted by his security personnel, who helped him into the vehicle safely.

Videos of the incident quickly went viral on social media. Vijay had returned from Malaysia, where he attended the audio release event for his film Jana Nayagan.

Vijay trips at Chennai airport
Visuals shared by news agency PTI showed the massive crowd at the airport awaiting Vijay’s arrival. As he made his way through the throng, he stumbled just before entering his car. His security team promptly intervened and escorted him inside safely.

The audio launch in Malaysia reportedly drew nearly 1 lakh fans and entered the Malaysian Book of Records for hosting the largest audience at such an event. Malaysia has the world’s second-largest Tamil population after Sri Lanka.

‘I gave up cinema for my fans’
At the event, Vijay stated that he had chosen to “give up cinema” to “stand up” for his fans, whom he credited with building his success. Referring to the term ‘kottai’—meaning stronghold or fort, and also referencing Fort St. George, the seat of Tamil Nadu’s government—Vijay said:

“When I entered cinema, I thought I was building a small sand house here. But you all have built me a palace. Fans helped me build a fort… That’s why I’ve decided to stand for them. For the fans who gave up everything for me, I’m giving up cinema itself.”

A few months ago, Vijay announced he would contest the Tamil Nadu assembly elections next year from Madurai East, positioning TVK as a third option in the state and presenting it as an alternative to both the DMK and AIADMK.