India, May 18 -- Vijay is no stranger to thrillers and Week 1 box-office impact. True to form, the actor-turned-politician's first week as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu has been nothing short of a thriller.

Following his swearing-in on May 10, and a successful trust vote won comfortably, CM C Joseph Vijay marked his debut in office with a righteous policy blitz, a viral controversy, a rapid reversal, and subplot that cracked a party. We'll come to the subplot later.

Just after Vijay was sworn in at Chennai's Nehru Indoor Stadium before a roaring crowd, his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) having won 108 seats in the April 23 polls - enough, with Congress and Left allies, to form a coalition government - He signed his first three orders...