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.
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.
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.
Despite having a Master's degree in Journalism and over a decade of experience in print and digital media as a field reporter and sub-editor at organisations such as The Times of India and Reader's Digest, Neeshita Nyayapati remains a movie buff first and a Chief Content Producer second. She fell in love with movies in childhood and believes nothing matches the magic of watching a good film that moves you with a warm tub of popcorn in hand. Her love for writing about cinema follows that. Come Friday, you'll find her at her happy place, the movies, catching the latest rom-com or masala offering, for reviews or otherwise. As for the rest of the week, she's here reporting the juiciest news in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi or bringing out the best of celebs in interviews. While her niche is Telugu cinema, Neeshita likes to dabble in a little bit of everything to stay up to date. From film announcements to scandals and hard news angles, she has explored it all. A good book, a comforting cup of hot chocolate, puppy kisses and a stunning beach view are all she needs to unwind. Her passion for biking and travelling has taken her to various places across the country. She has found peace in everything from the frozen lakes of Gangtok to the coffee plantations of Coorg and the dense forests of Bandipur, to the monasteries of Darjeeling. But no matter where she goes, Neeshita loves coming across inspiring and moving stories.Read More