Ever since Udhayanidhi Stalin made his foray into Tamil Nadu politics officially five years ago, there has been a strong buzz that he would eventually be made the Deputy Chief Minister. As the son of current CM MK Stalin, he is seen as the political heir of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) that his grandfather, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Dr Kalaignar Karunanidhi, founded in 1949. Thus, this news is not surprising – it’s only a matter of when. 

In 2018, when MK Stalin handed over the baton of DMK youth wing secretary (which he held for 30 years) to Udhayanidhi in 2019 after the demise of Karunanidhi, the 40-year-old was officially inducted into the DMK though he had been campaigning for elections for many years. But the 46-year-old’s path to politics is unlike his father’s as he first became a Tamil film producer, then an actor and eventually an MLA in 2021.

Udhayanidhi's interest in films

For someone who hails from a strong political family in the Tamil state, Udhayanidhi’s interest in Tamil cinema is not new as his grandfather Kalaignar Karunanidhi had penned around 75 scripts for films and was highly respected in the film industry. In fact, he earned the sobriquet Kalaignar (artist) thanks to his excellent penmanship, be it cinema scripts or political speeches. And in 2008, Udhayanidhi set up his production house Red Giant Movies producing his first film, Kuruvi, starring Thalapathy Vijay and Trisha. Red Giant Movies became a renowned name in the Tamil film industry as it also ventured into the distribution business in the state. Till date, the company has produced around 20 films, most of which star Udhayanidhi himself.

Now, why did the political scion become an actor? In an interview several years ago, the actor-turned-politician stated that he wanted to be an actor so he could reach out to the masses and he was also clear that he didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. This is not a new strategy he adopted given that Tamil cinema has produced numerous chief ministers and politicians, including MG Ramachandran, J Jayalalithaa, Vijayakanth, Khushbu and Kamal Haasan. In fact, cinema has been the route for those aspiring for a political career in south India.

The huge box office success of Udhayanidhi’s first comic caper, Oru Kal Oru Kannadi in 2018, possibly surprised him. In an interview in 2022, he had stated, “After OKOK, I thought I’ll stop acting as it will make me the only actor with a 100 per cent success rate.” But he went on to star in around 17 more films with Maamannan being his sign off from cinema. His decade-long film career had its ups and downs as not all his films were box office superhits. If Manithan, Psycho, Nenjukku Needhi, Kalaga Thalaivan and Maamannan were loved by the audience, his other films like Nimir and Kannai Nambathey did above average business.

Throughout his acting career, he was very conscious about the kind of dialogues he mouthed on screen. Udhayanidhi never wanted to speak vulgar lines and was conscious of politically-shaded dialogues too. Udhay had said, “I do tell my directors that I don’t want certain aspects like excessive violence or double-meaning dialogues. But I don’t force them to change the script.” And as for sexism in cinema, he believed that one should avoid sexism in films. “Good films have been made without it. But unfortunately, the masses expect glamour in a film. That’s the conundrum for filmmakers, I guess. I’m trying to avoid it in my films,” he had commented.

When asked how he was juggling his career of producer, politician and actor at the time of Maamannan’s shoot in November 2022, Udhayanidhi stated, “As a politician-MLA, I am dedicated to the people. During the Covid lockdowns, I focused completely on my political work and then shooting resumed. I have teams to manage all the different aspects but I started becoming choosy about the scripts because I wanted to focus on the party work. I am an MLA and DMK Youth Wing Secretary. So, I need to focus on the party work and the people.”

Udhayanidhi's political career

In a sudden turn of events, Udhayanidhi was appointed Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development by his father, TN CM MK Stalin, in December 2022 and it was clear that movies were likely to take a backseat now. When Maamannan released in June 2023, it became a blockbuster and Udhayanidhi was hailed for his acting skills. But by then he had become an inherent part of the DMK and the TN government and it was then he decided to hang up his acting boots and focus solely on his political career.

As soon as Udhayanidhi made this announcement, there was a lot of chatter about his production house Red Giant Movies and how this could be a conflict of interest. Red Giant Movies was being openly criticised in the film industry for having a monopoly on the film distribution business in the state. In July, Udhayanidhi informed the media that he was no longer actively part of the company and had resigned. Though he may not be actively involved in the day-to-operations of the production, distribution and exhibition house, he is still perceived as the founder and owner of the company.

The change in power dynamics within Kalaignar Karunanidhi’s extended family post his demise and the appointment of MK Stalin as DMK President and TN CM has paved the way for Udhayanidhi’s rise within the DMK as well as in Tamil Nadu politics. With Tamil star Vijay also announcing his political entry with his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, and ambition to become TN CM, all eyes are on the TN Assembly elections in 2026 when it will be a direct face-off between him and DMK heir Udhayanidhi Stalin.

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