CHENNAI: Veteran filmmaker RV Udhayakumar, who recently resigned from the AIADMK, joined the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Friday at the party’s headquarters in Panaiyur.
He was inducted into the party in the presence of ministers N Anand, Sengottaiyan and Aadhav Arjuna.
Udhayakumar’s entry into the TVK comes days after he publicly praised Chief Minister Vijay at an event in Chennai, describing his rise to power as an unprecedented political achievement by a film personality. He had also expressed confidence that Vijay would continue to play a major role in the State politics for years to come.
The filmmaker had recently submitted his resignation letter to the AIADMK leadership. Prior to his exit, he served as the party’s arts wing secretary and had actively campaigned for AIADMK candidates during elections.
A prominent filmmaker of the 1980s and 1990s, Udhayakumar made his directorial debut with Urimai Geetham in 1988 and went on to direct several successful films, including Kizhakku Vasal,
Chinna Gounder, Singaravelan, Ejamaan, Ponnumani, Rajakumaran and Subash.
Apart from his work as a director, he has also been associated with the Tamil film industry as an actor, lyricist and office-bearer of various film bodies, including the Tamil Film Directors’ Association. His induction is the latest high-profile addition to the TVK following the party’s rise to power.
Meanwhile, a brief power outage at the TVK headquarters in Panaiyur during the induction of new members caused a flutter. Hundreds of entrants from various parties had gathered at the headquarters for the event, which was temporarily disrupted when the electricity supply was interrupted. The situation was restored quickly, and the programme proceeded as scheduled.