After being sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, actor Vijay told the public that he understands poverty and hunger. “I know what is poverty and what is hunger. I do not have a royal ancestry. I am like you, I am one among you. I am like your son, like your brother," he has been quoted as saying by The News Minute.
After the ceremony, his father, SA Chandrasekhar, told the media that he was in a struggling phase when Vijay was a kid. "I was an Assistant Director. Vijay remembers those days," SAC shared.
However, many have since opined that Vijay's family was not poor at all. Columnist and author Manu Joseph wrote that Vijay was his classmate in the third standard in Loyola School in Chennai. "It is possible that, like most filmmakers, his father may have had periods of financial strife but that's not the same as Tamil-grade poverty. A lot of affluent boys confuse being broke with poverty. Two very different things," Manu wrote.
In the past, Pawan Kalyan, too, has been criticized by many for allegedly exaggerating his childhood struggles. "Every politician wants to create a mythical origin story. This isn’t unique to India. I think they believe it helps them connect," wrote Kushan Mitra, a netizen.
