Condolences pour in; people and leaders pay last respects to 'Captain' Vijayakanth

Swarms of people thronged the headquarters of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) here all day to pay homage to their much-loved actor and leader 'Captain' Vijayakanth, who passed away on Thursday, following illness.

After Vijayakanth's body was brought from a hospital to his residence, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, along with his cabinet colleauges laid a wreath and paid rich tributes to the departed leader, describing him as a beloved friend who scaled the heights of cinema and shone in public life through his dedicated work.

Later, after the mortal remains were brought in a procession to the DMDK headquarters at Koyambedu here, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and senior party leaders paid floral tributes. Describing Vijayakanth as 'dear brother,' the former chief minster said the DMDK founder won laurels both as a leader and as an actor in the world of cinema. Besides celebrities, common people, party workers, fans and admirers stood in unending lines in the nooks and crannies of Koyambedu to pay their last respects. Police had a tough time regulating the crowds. By evening, thousands of people had paid homage while chants of 'captain, captain' continuously rent the air. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former union minister P Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President K S Alagiri, BJP state chief K Annamalai, IUML leader Prof KM Khader Mohideen, actor-politician Kamal Haasan, and leaders of Left parties as well as Pattali Makkal Katchi, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi were among those who condoled the demise of Vijayakanth.

While there are innumerable people and artists in the Tamil film world who remember with gratitude the bighearted icon, actor Sonu Sood said he owed his career to Vijayakanth. On social media platform X, Sood said 'Kallazhagar', his first film ever, was a gift from Vijayakanth. ''He came across this still of mine and in no time I was filming with him. I owe my career to him. Will miss you so much sir. RIP CAPTAIN.'' For years, Vijayakanth had nurtured aspirants and supported talented youth to find success in the world of cinema -- the 1986 blockbuster 'Oomai Vizhigal' being a case in point. Entertainment industry tracker Sreedhar Pillai said on X: ''As a mark of respect to #CaptainVijayakanth, no shooting of #Tamil movies will be held tomorrow - Friday, December 29.'' Also, he said Superstar Rajinikanth is returning to Chennai from Nagercoil to pay his last respects to Vijayakanth. The government has announced full state honours for Vijayakanth's funeral. The DMDK said the last rites would be conducted on December 29 at 4.45 PM on the premises of the party headquarters and party flags would fly at half mast for 15 days.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)