CHENNAI: With the Election Commission allotting the whistle symbol to actor Vijay’s political party, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), social media has erupted with memes, banter, and playful political digs. Vijay’s fans and TVK supporters have flooded platforms with trending meme content, cheekily dragging in everything from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the ruling DMK to actor Ajith Kumar’s fan base.
At a time when discussions around the censor certification of Vijay’s upcoming film Jana Nayagan were gaining momentum, netizens say the whistle symbol announcement has completely overtaken the conversation, as reflected in viral posts on X (formerly Twitter).
The phrase Whistle Podu, long associated with CSK’s fan culture, has now taken on a political twist, with cricket fans also joining the fun by celebrating the overlap between CSK’s slogan and TVK’s new symbol.
Several memes have targeted the DMK government’s free bus travel scheme for women, using a popular comedy scene from Kalavani. One viral post jokingly suggests that while free buses are running, conductors are allegedly blowing whistles. Meanwhile, satirical posts claim that the DMK government may soon ban bus conductors from blowing whistles altogether.
Adding fuel to the trend, old photographs of Vijay with MS Dhoni from Vijay’s stint as CSK’s brand ambassador during the inaugural IPL season in 2008 and their later meeting in 2021 have resurfaced and gone viral again.
The long-standing fan rivalry between Vijay and Ajith Kumar has also found fresh life. With Mankatha being re-released today, fans have compared the film’s iconic moments with the whistle symbol, ensuring the meme battle continues despite Vijay’s announcement about stepping away from cinema.