Actor-politicians Vijay and Udhayanidhi Stalin and actor Vishal have known each other for years, with their friendship dating back to their student days. However, politics seems to have created a rift between Vijay and Udhayanidhi after the recent Tamil Nadu elections, resulting in the former becoming the Chief Minister instead of the latter’s father, former CM MK Stalin. Vishal, who previously supported the arrest of the former Deputy CM and DMK leader Udhayanidhi over his alleged remarks about Trisha Krishnan, made it clear that he bears no ill will towards him.
Vishal says his love for Udhayanidhi Stalin will never change
At the audio launch of Magudam in Chennai, Vishal spoke about Udhayanidhi and reiterating something he already said, “My friend Udhaya said something and got arrested. There are a lot of people like that in my fraternity who talk about senior artists that way. What about YouTubers? Ask them to go say the same on Doordarshan. They won’t because they won’t get money for it. I ask CM Joseph Vijay to do this one thing. Many on YouTube speak ill of senior actresses and other female artists in an ugly manner. They should be punished.”
He then spoke about his years-long bond with the actor-politician and said, “Udhaya, as always, I love him. He and (his wife) Kiruthiga, I always love them, come what may. My fondness for Udhaya started during our student days, when he was in love with Kiruthiga. If I enter politics, there will never be a serious fight between Udhaya and me. It will be something healthy, but nothing out of rift or conflict. I will openly admit it today. I previously spoke about his production house, Red Giant Movies, because of my suffering. But Udhaya is too good a person.”
In the past, Vishal has been vocal in criticism of Udhayanidhi’s production house, accusing them of a monopoly and indulging in unfair practices. During the release of his films Enemy and Mark Anthony, he alleged that they had attempted to manipulate the theatre count.
Recalls childhood memories with Udhayanidhi Stalin
Vishal also recalled childhood memories with Udhayanidhi at the event, revealing that he was always hesitant to use his father’s name to gain influence. “When we were young, we would ride triples on a scooter. The police often caught us in Gopalapuram and fined us. I would ask him to tell them his father is MK Stalin. But he would hesitate every time. He never used his father’s name, even in college,” he said.
Vishal and Udhayanidhi studied together at Don Bosco School in Chennai, and Vijay studied with them at Loyola College. Udhayanidhi was recently arrested for allegedly making a double-entendre remark about Trisha while criticising Vijay. He was released on bail. Vishal’s Magudam will be released in theatres on August 14.