Thalapathy Vijay, the CM-to-be of Tamil Nadu, is making waves. His father, SA Chandrasekhar, was in the news on Monday as results poured in. He even gave soundbites to the media.
SAC comes with an interesting past. Born into a comfortable, middle-class household with a father in government service, Chandrasekhar seemed destined for a conventional life. However, his childhood dream of filmmaking directly clashed with his parents' orthodox Christian values. Like many Christian families, they strictly forbade him from even watching movies.
This fundamental disagreement drove SAC to run away to Madras with nothing to his name. For 25 days, the railway station served as his only shelter. Reflecting on those grueling beginnings in an interview with Suman TV in 2022, SAC said, "I had no means and no roof over my head," he recalled. "From that position, I went on to direct 60 movies in just nine years. When I look back now, I wonder where I found the energy to maintain such a relentless pace."
Had SAC adhered to his parents' orthodox Christian values, he would never have become a director. And Vijay would never have become an actor. And, by all consequence, a CM. Today, if Tamil Nadu is about to get a Christian CM, it's because his father rejected the orthodox Christian way of life.
