Thala and Thalapathy: In London, Vijay will wave the flag — and Ajith will race past him

After Vijay’s victory, top sources close to Vijay claimed that Ajith had telephoned to congratulate him, supporting accounts of their cordial relationship. (Photo: Instagram/Ajith Kumar, CMO Tamil Nadu)

5 min readChennaiSep 12, 2026 06:45 AM IST First published on: Sep 12, 2026 at 06:45 AM IST

As Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay arrived in London on Friday carrying the familiar luggage of an official foreign tour — investment meetings to MoUs — one thing is likely to stand out from his first overseas visit.

The Michelin Le Mans Cup announced Vijay as its “special guest” for Saturday’s Silverstone round, saying he would support the Indian drivers and officially start a 44-car grid. Ajith, Vijay’s principal box-office rival for much of the past quarter-century, is among them.

For Tamil audiences, the tableau requires little explanation. Ajith was “Thala”; Vijay, “Thalapathy”. Their combative followers acquired less majestic names: Ajith supporters became “Aamais”, or tortoises, and Vijay supporters “Anils”, or squirrels. At Silverstone, however, the squirrel will lower the flag and the tortoise will accelerate.

How Ajith is different

The encounter is interesting because the men built opposite relationships with adulation. Vijay’s fan network evolved into a welfare organisation, then a political machine, and finally achieved an electoral victory.

Ajith attempted the reverse. He dissolved his fan associations amid factionalism, politicisation, and misuse of his name. In 2017, he said he had no authorised fan clubs and apologised for harm caused by people invoking him. In 2019, denying political ambitions, he said he had never instructed admirers to join or vote for a party. Affection, for him, meant studying, working, caring for one’s family, obeying the law, and respecting others. Ajith surprised his and the wider public when, during the 2015 Chennai floods, he opened his home to residents of nearby slums and sheltered them for several days.

Famously, at a felicitation for then-CM Karunanidhi in February 2010, Ajith had objected to film personalities being pressured into political and social events and asked the CM to stop such coercion. Rajinikanth gave him a standing ovation. Ajith later clarified that he respected Karunanidhi and blamed coercive groups around the industry rather than the government.

ALSO READ | ‘Giant leap for Indian motorsports’: Ajith hails Tamil Nadu CM Vijay’s new Motor Sports City plan

More recently, in 2021, Ajith asked to be called Ajith, Ajith Kumar, or AK rather than “Thala”. When “Kadavule… Ajithey” (God, Ajith) became a public chant in 2024, he called it disturbing, said superlatives made him uncomfortable and asked people to stop.

That distinction resurfaced during last April’s Assembly election. Having returned from Belgium a day earlier, Ajith voted early at Thiruvanmiyur, where a noisy crowd surrounded him. He covered his ears and left quickly. A claim circulated that he answered “no need” when asked whether Tamil Nadu required political change. His manager denied this.

After Vijay’s victory, top sources close to Vijay claimed that Ajith had telephoned to congratulate him, supporting accounts of their cordial relationship.

Ajith’s racing is no celebrity hobby purchased after success. Returning after nearly 15 years, he formed Ajith Kumar Racing and entered international endurance competition in 2025. At Dubai’s 24-hour event, his team earned a class podium; another entry he drove finished fourth in GT4 and received the Spirit of the Race award. He now competes in the Le Mans Cup’s LMP3 Pro-Am category, an entry officially confirmed by the championship.

Two generations of anil-aamais who fought for 2.5 decades realising their whole life was a scam https://t.co/W8FaavlTtN pic.twitter.com/8Ih8zhL9HB

— G σ ƙ υ ʅ▫️ (@PHanToM___PAiN_) September 10, 2026

Only the rivalry group knows the value of this meet, It’s been almost 3 decades of the hate & war, its now officially gonna end for good

COLDEST Collab on cards 🥶🤍#ThalapathyVijay #ThalaAjith pic.twitter.com/uIbTyuvZMX

— Rick dalton (@itisrickdalton) September 11, 2026

Vijay’s schedule

Officially, Vijay’s visit is to drive investments to Tamil Nadu. His government plans investor meetings and MoUs in advanced manufacturing, automobiles, electric vehicles, electronics and Global Capability Centres. The trip seeks to use the India-UK trade agreement, effective from July 15, to expand investment, exports and technical partnerships.

Silverstone also provides a governmental purpose beyond celebrity theatre. Vijay recently announced a Motor Sports City for Tamil Nadu. His delegation will examine the circuit’s design, safety systems, commercial operation and connections to sports tourism and specialised automobile industries. Sports Minister Aadhav Arjuna and senior officials are accompanying him.

Still, Vijay’s appearance could be read as an overture to Ajith’s enormous but deliberately unorganised constituency, or as patronisation by a CM occupying the ceremonial foreground of another star’s achievement. The safer reading is that Vijay is lending the authority of his office to an international event in which his old rival is representing the country.

For a few seconds on Saturday, two of the biggest stars of Tamil cinema will occupy one frame. The leader who gathered his fans into history and the actor who kept asking his followers to go home and live their own lives.