Tamil Nadu cinema superstar ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay has long been seen as sympathetic to the struggles of Sri Lankan Tamils. Back in 2009, when the Sri Lankan government was waging its final war against the LTTE, Tamil Nadu film stars staged a satyagraha protest. Vijay was at the forefront of that demonstration, playing a more active role than many of his colleagues.
Some believe his deep sensitivity to the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils stems from his family ties—his wife is of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. Her family, originally from the north, fled to London during the war. Vijay himself visited Sri Lanka in 2024 to shoot his film Thalapathy 68, where Tamil communities in the north gave him a rousing welcome.
Recently, however, Vijay has sparked controversy with his statement that the Kachchatheevu island should be retrieved for India. India ceded Kachchatheevu to Sri Lanka in 1976, but Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the handover intensified after the war ended in 2009. As early as 2008, then-Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had gone to court against the deal, and after her, the DMK also pursued the case. Following Karunanidhi’s death, DMK leader T.R. Balu was allowed by the Supreme Court in March 2025 to represent the petitioner. The case is set to resume on September 15—the very moment Vijay voiced his call for the island’s return.
Earlier, Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar had described the 1976 handover as a “historic mistake” by the Congress government, a sentiment echoed by Prime Minister Modi on social media, accusing the Congress government of callously giving away Kachchatheevu . At the time, Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government responded cautiously.
The present Anura government, however, has taken a harder line on Vijay’s statement on Kachchatheevu. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath declared firmly that Kachchatheevu belongs to Sri Lanka. President Anura himself even visited the island, becoming the first Sri Lankan head of state ever to do so. Not even Sirimavo Bandaranaike, who formally secured Kachchatheevu from India, made such a visit, perhaps out of concern for India’s sensitivities.
How India will interpret Anura’s symbolic trip to the island remains to be seen.
