Leading Tamil actor Vishal paid his respects at 'Captain' Vijayakanth's memorial at the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) party headquarters on Tuesday, January 9, where he fed more than 500 people at his own expense. Vishal, who was joined by actor Arya, offered his prayers to the late cinema stalwart as he wasn't present in Chennai at the time of his demise on December 28. Addressing media persons, Vishal said, " 'Captain' Vijayakanth annan was an excellent actor in the film industry. Not only in cinema, he garnered respect as a wonderful human being. He was a good politician and earned the name of a brave statesman. We usually tend to hail a person as a God after their passing, but many called him as such when he was alive because he has done so much. The things he did for everyone were not during a period of only 2-3 years. If you watch the film Thirumoorthy, you'll see all the good deeds he did for people like us and the general public. You'll see in the film's credits how he served as an example with his good deeds and services for everyone."
Vishal further stated, "Vijayakanth annan was our role model with matters relating to the Nadigar Sangam and we too followed his path. After winning the Nadigar Sangam elections for the first time, when we went to his residence, the only thing Premalatha amma said was that he told her to remove all the jewelry in their safe and instead keep the Actor's Association documents inside it. I got an opportunity to meet this gem of a person and I came to hear that there will always be four people who will be cooking food for all those who are struggling. He did this for years and this is an inspiration for me to do the same." He added, "In every aspect, everyone is well aware of 'Captain' ayya's courage. Be it in the Assembly or as an actor, he was the first to earn respect for his welfare efforts for the public and this is no ordinary feat. Each time I shoot anywhere near Madurai, the elderly narrate how 'Captain' used to view everyone as his equal. If there are 250 people working in his film's unit, he will make sure that everyone gets the same food that he eats during the shooting."
Explaining why he wasn't able to attend Vijayakanth's funeral last month, Vishal said, "I wasn't able to come and pay my last respects as I wasn't here. Had I been here, I'd have asked him to forgive me. I should have been here by his side during his last moments, but it wasn't possible. I'm obligated to his family and they require strength both mentally and physically. 'Captain' ayya's spirit must rest in peace. He might not be with us today, but he will always remain in our hearts. Anybody can do social service and we will remember him. We will remember MGR ayya first and then 'Captain' ayya."
Speaking about naming the Nadigar Sangam building in Vijayakanth's name, Vishal stated, "I've already said this and how will that building be built without MGR ayya and Vijayakanth ayya's names? That place has a tradition. We all entered the scene only now, but he retrieved the Nadigar Sangam documents at that time. It's not an ordinary task to organize a program with all the artistes abroad, including the protests that he led back home. He need not have done any of this. But, he stepped forward and looked after the Nadigar Sangam members like his own family. Although, our gesture is small, we will do it for him."
Vishal also spoke about a special memorial event for Vijayakanth on behalf of the Nadigar Sangam and said, "We have planned an event on January 19 at the Kamarajar Arangam in his memory and I request everyone to grace us with your presence. Many junior artistes weren't able to pay their final respects during his death and many elderly people requested to offer their prayers, and this our way of showing our admiration and adulation for Vijayakanth."
Addressing the claims that the Nadigar Sangam wasn't confident in naming the building, Vishal stated, "I say this now as the General Secretary, a fan, and a member of the Actors Association, there's no difference of opinion here. If we said that Vijayakanth annan's name must be used in the front, all the 29 members of the body will agree to it. All the 3,500 members in the association will also accept it. It's a one-minute decision. When that building is built with the blessings of good-hearted people, how will his name not be on it? I don't know whether they will honor him with the Bharat Ratna award, but the people in our Bharatham are paying their heartfelt respects to him. If you ask this question after five years, irrespective of him being awarded the Bharat Ratna, everybody will say that they will not forget Vijayakanth annan till they die."
