In his Assembly speech on Tuesday, Chief Minster Joseph Vijay hit back at detractors who say that he became the CM purely because of his cinema background and who describe TVK as an actor's party. "Some people create an image about me, saying I became CM straight out of a shoot. Let me tell you in the language they want: That is just a reel, not real," Vijay said in what has been described as a "fiery" speech.

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu also said that he started his career as just a normal actor and worked his way up through sheer hard work. He added that his hard work is not the only reason for the rise in his career. "The reason for it is the love and care of the people of Tamil Nadu behind this Vijay's hard work and rise," the CM noted.

He also pointed out that his biggest blessing is the fact that millions of people view him as their family member. "For that, I would like to convey my gratitude once again to God and to Tamils, who are equal to the Almighty," the CM said.

He also shared that the fan clubs and the social welfare organisations in his name worked for the public from the 1990s onwards. Differing to those who say that he and his party, TVK, succeeded in the election and came into power a little too easily, Vijay said that they still had to deal with many restrictions and conspiracy theories along the way. The CM's comments are reminiscent of his pre-election campaign remarks, where he criticised his rivals for keeping him from campaigning in multiple constituencies and for creating 'fake narratives' about his personal life and his alleged role in the Karur stampede row.

Vijay's assembly speech came a day after his birthday. His final film, Jana Nayagan, is still awaiting release.