C. Joseph Vijay, actor and founder of the recently floated Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), assumed office as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu last month. One cannot help but be reminded of how M.G. Ramachandran or more popularly known as MGR, also a highly successful actor, took charge as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 1977 and went on to win two more consecutive terms, until his death in 1987. He was the first actor-turned-CM in India.

However, apart from being successful film stars, there is hardly much in common between MGR, a Hindu of the Nair community of Kerala, and Mr. Vijay, a Tamil Christian. MGR’s best-known co-star and successor, Jayalalithaa, who ruled the State for 16 years, was a Tamil Brahmin. Moreover, C.N. Annadurai, the first non-Congress CM of the State, his successor M. Karunanidhi, and his son M.K. Stalin were/are non-Brahmin Hindus.