India, May 10 -- Tamil Nadu witnessed a historic moment on Sunday, May 10, as 'Thalapathy' Vijay, an actor-turned-politician, was sworn in as the state's ninth chief minister - the first leader in nearly six decades with no connection to either the DMK or AIADMK, but with a crucial ally: the Indian National Congress.

While Tamil Nadu has a well-worn tradition of actor-politicians, from MG Ramachandran to J Jayalalithaa, for Vijay the last five days were a rollercoaster. After his party TVK emerged as the single largest group with 108 seats, it fell short of the magic mark of 118, triggering a week of acute political uncertainty. The Congress was the first to break ranks, abandoning the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance to offer its fi...