CHENNAI: Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam President Kamal Haasan has congratulated actor Vijay over the phone for starting a political party.

Tamil cinema A-lister Vijay launched his political party, Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), in Chennai on Friday.

Welcoming his industry colleague, MNM chief Kamal congratulated him over the phone for his political entry and his decision to contest the 2026 state assembly election.

Following Vijay's much-hyped political plunge, party leaders who could be his potential rivals gave a measured response, with some wishing him and others saying he has the right to launch a political party like any other citizen. The leaders, wary of the actor enjoying a huge fan-base in the state, trod cautiously in their approach to the launch of Thamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam in order to not rub them in the wrong side with Lok Sabha elections just a few months away.