Superstar and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C Joseph Vijay was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday. In his first speech as the CM, which moved even Trisha Krishnan to tears, the actor-politician remarked that he understood poverty and hunger. His classmate, the creator of the Netflix show Decoupled, Manu Joseph, claims otherwise. (Also Read: Mobbed Trisha Krishnan struggles to find her way out after Tamil Nadu chief minister Vijay’s oath-taking ceremony)
Decoupled classmate, Vijay’s classmate criticises his first speech as CM
Manu took to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday morning and criticised Vijay’s first speech as the CM. He wrote, “In his first speech as Tamil Nadu chief minister, Vijay said that he grew up in poverty, and that he even knows what hunger is. It’s bulls**t because he was my classmate in the third standard in Loyola School.”
He also pointed out that Vijay’s father, SA Chandrasekhar, opened doors for him in Kollywood, adding, “His father was a filmmaker who set up his son for a career in films. It is possible that like most filmmakers his father may have had periods of financial strife but that’s not the same as Tamil-grade poverty. A lot of affluent boys confuse being broke with poverty. Two very different things.”
Manu is a former journalist and writer who also hails from a film family. His father, Joseph Madappally, directed the Malayalam film Thoranam (1987). His 2010 novel Serious Men was adapted by Sudhir Mishra into a 2020 Netflix film starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui. He also wrote the screenplay for Love Khichdi (2009) and created Decoupled (2021). His recent work includes the 2025 non-fiction book Why the Poor Don’t Kill Us.
What did Vijay say in maiden speech as TN CM
Vijay said he was well aware of poverty and hunger during his first speech as the CM on Sunday. He stated that he was the son of an ordinary assistant film director who aspired to succeed in cinema through hard work. “I know what poverty is and what hunger is. I do not have a royal ancestry. I am like you, I am one among you. I am like your son, like your brother,” said the actor-politician.
He also called it a new beginning and a new era of ‘real, secular, social justice’. Vijay also said in his speech, “As I have said before, I will not touch even a single paisa from the people’s money. It is not necessary for me either, and you know that very well. Vijay will not indulge in delinquency and will not allow others to do so either. It may be anyone, including those with me in my government, I will not allow.”
The actor-politician’s final film, Jana Nayagan, is expected to hit screens soon after months of delays in CBFC certification.