Vijay's classmate slams his claim of experiencing poverty during his first adress as Tamil Nadu CM: 'It's bullsh*t'

Vijay (Pic/X)

Superstar and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C Joseph Vijay took oath as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, following his historic win at the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026. Following his oath, he delivered his first speech as the CM, which moved many to tears. In the speech, the actor-politician said that he understood poverty and hunger. Now, his classmate, and the creator of the Netflix show Decoupled, Manu Joseph, has slammed Vijay's claims.

Vijay's classmate criticises his claims

Manu took to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday to criticise Vijay's first speech as the CM. He penned, "In his first speech as Tamil Nadu chief minister, Vijay said that he grew up in poverty, and that he even knows what hunger is. It's bulls''t because he was my classmate in the third standard in Loyola School."

He pointed out that Vijay's father, SA Chandrasekhar, a notable filmmaker, opened doors for him in Kollywood, saying, "His father was a filmmaker who set up his son for a career in films. 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 is a former journalist and writer who also comes from a film family. His father, Joseph Madappally, helmed the Malayalam film Thoranam (1987). Manu's 2010 novel Serious Men was adapted by Sudhir Mishra into a 2020 Netflix film of the same name starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui. He has also written the screenplay for Love Khichdi (2009) and created Decoupled (2021) starring R Madhavan and Surveen Chawla. His most recent work includes the 2025 non-fiction book Why the Poor Don't Kill Us.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay's first speech

Vijay, during his maiden address, said he was well aware of poverty and hunger. He said that he was the son of an ordinary assistant film director who aspired to succeed in cinema through hard work. "I know what poverty is and what hunger is. I do not have a royal ancestry. I am like you, I am one among you. I am like your son, like your brother," said the newly elected Chief Minister.

He also called his appointment a new beginning and a new era of ‘real, secular, social justice'. He added, "As I have said before, I will not touch even a single paisa from the people's money. It is not necessary for me either, and you know that very well. Vijay will not indulge in delinquency and will not allow others to do so either. It may be anyone, including those with me in my government, I will not allow."