Vijay Vasanth (born Vijayakumar Vasanthakumar on 20 May 1983) is an Indian politician who is a Member of Parliament from Kanyakumari Loksabha constituency. He contested and won the bypoll that took place for Kanyakumari Loksabha constituency in May 2021.[2] He is a former actor who had worked in Tamil language films. He is the son of the late politician and entrepreneur H. Vasanthakumar and is the managing director of Vasanth & Co.[3]
Vijay Vasanth | |
|---|---|
 Vijay Vasanth at the Velaikkaran Audio Launch in 2017 | |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| Assumed office 19 July 2021 | |
| Preceded by | H. Vasanthakumar |
| Constituency | Kanniyakumari |
| General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee | |
| Assumed office 2 January 2021 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 May 1983 Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Spouse | Nithya (m. 2010) [1] |
| Occupation |
|
He entered politics in 2021 after the death of his father, taking up the mantle of General secretary of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee.
Political career
editVijay Vasanth entered active politics after the death of his father and sitting MP of Kanyakumari Loksabha constituency in 2020 due to Covid.[4] Prior to that he was assisting his father in constituency related works and also played a major role during his father's election to Parliament. He was appointed General secretary of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee in 2021.[5] Later when bypolls for Kanyakumari were announced in May 2021 he was given ticket by Congress party to contest. His electoral rival was veteran Pon. Radhakrishnan of BJP, who had been a Union minister. Vijay Vasanth won the polls by a majority of 1.34 lakh votes.[6]
Vijay Vasanth in an interview to News7Tamil in February 2024 said that BJP is dividing India in the name of religion.[7]
Business
editEstablished by his father H. Vasanthakumar in 1978, Vasanth & Co has over 96 stores across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Bengaluru. With a turnover of above Rs 4,000 crore in 2018, the chain of consumer electronics and home appliances is a household name across Tamil Nadu. Vijay Vasanth currently serves as the company's managing director.[8]
Film career
editVijay Vasanth made his debut in Venkat Prabhu's cult sports film, Chennai 600028 (2007), playing a supporting role as a member of the Sharks cricket team. Vasanth was introduced to Venkat Prabhu by his close friend Shiva, who first introduced him to music composer Yuvan Shankar Raja, before he later became acquainted with Prabhu.[8]
The success of that film prompted him to star alongside several of the same co-stars in Thozha [9] and he acted in S. Shankar's movie Nanban with stars Vijay, and his close friend Shiva he debut in the part as Paneer Selvam: a student with a passion for machines. After Virus tells him that he will not graduate, he commits suicide.[10] before making a guest appearance in Venkat Prabhu's next project Saroja. Vijay Vasanth then went on to portray a leading role in Samudrakani's Naadodigal alongside Sasikumar and Bharani, with the film becoming a commercial and critical success.[11] He followed it up in 2010 with another supporting role as Gowshik in romantic film, Kanimozhi, where he appeared alongside Jai and Shazahn Padamsee.[12] Vijay Vasanth made a cameo appearance in the film Velaikkaran (2017).[8]
Personal life
editHe is the son of H. Vasanthakumar, founder of Vasanth & Co and former Member of Parliament. He was married in the year 2010.[13] His paternal cousin is Tamilisai Soundararajan, the Former governor of Telangana & Pondicherry states.[14]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Chennai 600028 | Gopi | |
| 2008 | Thozha | Gajani | |
| Saroja | Special appearance | ||
| 2009 | Nadodigal | Chandran | |
| 2010 | Kanimozhi | Gowshik | |
| 2011 | Mankatha | Wine shop owner | Cameo appearance |
| 2012 | Nanban | Panneerselvam | Cameo appearance |
| 2013 | Mathil Mel Poonai | Karthik | |
| Biriyani | Vasanth | Cameo appearance | |
| 2014 | Ennamo Nadakkudhu | Vijay | |
| Theriyama Unna Kadhalichitten | Karthik | ||
| 2015 | Masss | Drinker | Cameo appearance |
| Vanna Jigina | Pavadai | ||
| 2016 | Vetrivel | Chandran | Cameo appearance |
| Chennai 600028 II | Gopi | ||
| Achamindri | Sakthi | [15] | |
| 2017 | Velaikkaran | Bhagya | |
| 2022 | My Dear Lisa | Kennedy | [16] |
References
edit- ^ "Wedding bells for Vijay Vasanth". The Times of India.
- ^ "Congress' Vijay Vasanth wins Kanniyakumari byelection". 3 May 2021.
- ^ "Vijay Vasanth". Jointscene. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu Congress MP Vasantha Kumar dies of COVID-19". The Week.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu: Congress fills 450 party posts with eye on polls". The Times of India. 3 January 2021.
- ^ "Congress retains Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat". The Hindu. 3 May 2021.
- ^ "மதத்தின் பெயரால் பாஜக இந்தியாவை பிரித்து வருகிறது - விஜய் வசந்த் எம்.பி. நியூஸ்7 தமிழுக்கு பிரத்யேக பேட்டி!".
- ^ a b c "Vijay Vasanth: Hit by cricket, cinema and gizmo fever". The New Indian Express. 7 September 2017.
- ^ "Avoid Thozha". www.rediff.com.
- ^ Nanban (DVD): Title credits from 7.11 to 7.42
- ^ Raghavan, Nikhil (5 January 2013). "Etcetera: Minimum takes, maximum impact". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ Subramanian, Karthik (27 November 2010). "Kanimozhi - Dull dose of realism". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ "Vijay Vasanth ties the knot"
- ^ Rao Apparasu, Srinivasa (18 March 2024). "Tamilisai resigns as Telangana governor and Puducherry LG, to contest LS polls". Hindustan Times.
- ^ Deccan Chronicle (12 May 2016). "Vijay Vasanth is a pickpocket in Achamindri". Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
- ^ "Ranjan directs Vijay Vasanth in horror film". The Deccan Chronicle. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2023.