His management skills are excellent. Although he will get angry, there will be character in that place. But he forgets his anger and starts looking at the next level of work. It is said that even Vadivelu was not present for the last rites, but he may have been at home crying at the death of the captain. Because Vijayakanth has the character to forget and forgive. It was the captain who was a great power who organized all the stars and conducted the star art festival while being the Sangha President. It is certain that he will live in this Tamil society as long as there is time. Because the country does not forget the valleys. The Tamil community never forgets. We will never forget. He is at a place where he feels that Captain Vijayakanth should not be forgotten and the social and community work he left behind should be carried out with his character. I will never forget him.”
New Justice Party leader AC Shanmugam speaking,
“Vallal Vijayakanth lived as a grammar of how a man should live. When Prime Minister Modi took office for the first time in 2014, he only mentioned Captain Vijayakanth’s name in that event. Recently while speaking in Trichy he even said that India has lost a captain. The ninth wave is Vijayakanth. If he gives a word, he will not change it. Compromise does not exist in his dictionary. If he had made such a compromise, he would have become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. I consider him to be a descendant of Nakiran. He will live in our hearts forever.”
Director and Pepsi Chairman RK Selvamani speaking,
“Captain Vijayakanth made me known to the whole world as an ordinary film college student. After becoming the president of the Actors’ Association, he brought immense respect to the actors in the society. An organization is of no use if it is not useful to society. That is why the Neyveli protest led by Vijayakanth after he became the president looked back on India. Only then did India know what the actors’ union was. I would also like to put a request to the administrators and members of the Actors’ Sangh to name the revolutionary artist Vijayakanth for the newly constructed Actor’s Sangh complex.
Because if the actor’s society stands tall today, if it has reached the pinnacle of fame, it is only because of Captain. I consider it an insult to him to even debate whether or not to name him. He should name it without any discussion. Vijayakanth was not proud as the Chief Minister came twice and paid his last respects to the captain. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu is proud. His death has made such an impact that even the Prime Minister mentions Captain Vijayakanth’s name on the platforms where he speaks.
Likewise, Vijayakanth is not going to gain any new fame by naming the actor’s union complex after him. The name is going to be given to the actor’s union complex. When I asked him how he paid off the loan of the actor’s union, he said, “I don’t know, ask Sarathkumar.” Vijayakanth doesn’t even like the reputation he got that he settled everything. Even Mahatma Gandhi was buried in a public place. But one leader who did not take public property to the extent of burying his body in his own place was Vijayakanth.
I am writing a book about him. I wanted to publish it on his birthday while he was still alive. Unfortunately it was not possible. When he was conscious, five people including myself, director Vikraman, RV Udayakumar and Prameradu finally met him. Then he held my hands in the same way as during the investigation. Vijayakanth was the one who held my hands tightly so that the police would not beat me up by mistake when a large crowd gathered at an exhibition during the shooting of the investigation film. Similarly, when we met him for the last time, when RV Udayakumar sang that Mannavan, whose heart is like that sky, all of us had tears in our eyes, and the captain’s eyes also had tears. Beyond that he held both of our hands and tried to wipe away our tears.
It was on 28th December 1988 that the investigation started with the film pooja. He passed away on December 28th as well. I think he and I have a bond in some way. When everyone calls him Captain Vijayakanth, I feel proud that I have ten percent of that. His death shook Tamil Nadu to a great extent. Of the deaths I’ve seen so far, no one has taken this issue seriously.
