India, May 10 -- C Joseph Vijay for the last five days has battled a legion of political "villains" - missing numbers, reluctant allies, deleted support letters, horse-trading allegations, and a Governor unwilling to blink without written proof of majority. On Sunday morning, he completed the hero's arc by taking oath as Tamil Nadu chief minister.

The actor-turned-politician, who began the week as the single-largest winner after Tamil Nadu elections but still short of the majority mark, overcame one political hurdle after another to stitch together a six-party alliance and cross the halfway mark in the 234-member Assembly. Inside Chennai's Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of offi...