Actor-turned-politician Thalapathy Vijay is facing strong backlash from sections of the Muslim community after a fatwa was issued against him by a prominent Sunni cleric. The controversy stems from an iftar party hosted by Vijay on March 7 in Chennai, which has now snowballed into a political and religious storm.
Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilly, National President of the All India Muslim Jamaat and Chief Mufti of Chashme Darul Ifta, issued the fatwa accusing the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief of using Islam for political mileage. According to India Today, Razvi said, "Vijay Thalapathy is using Muslim sentiments to make his way into politics from the film world when his history is full of anti-Muslim sentiment."
Citing Vijay’s 2022 film The Beast, Maulana Razvi accused the actor of portraying Muslims as terrorists and extremists. "In the film, Thalapathy tries to show Muslims as ‘monsters’ and ‘devils’. And now since he is entering politics and he wants votes, he is doing Muslim appeasement," he added.
Further fueling the controversy, the cleric slammed the iftar event itself, claiming it disrespected the sanctity of the holy month of Ramzan. "He invited alcoholics and gamblers to the iftar party. These people were neither fasting nor following Islamic practices," Razvi alleged.
The cleric has called upon Muslims in Tamil Nadu to boycott Vijay and his political outfit. "I urge Muslims not to invite him to religious events or support his politics. His actions are misleading and hurtful to the community," he added.
This isn’t the first time Vijay’s iftar initiative has drawn criticism. Just last week, the Tamil Nadu Sunnat Jamath lodged a formal complaint accusing the actor of failing to uphold the true essence of iftar. The group also alleged that those attending the event were "treated like cows" by Vijay’s security personnel.
Despite the growing uproar, Vijay has not issued any official response.
The 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections are fast approaching, and Vijay is expected to contest independently under the banner of his TVK party, distancing himself from major alliances like the AIADMK.
