New Delhi, May 9 -- Until 15-20 years ago, few would have imagined that a shy and mild-mannered actor would not just one day launch a political party, but also led it to emerge as the the single-largest party in its debut election.

Vikraman, who directed Vijay in 'Poove Unakkaga,' recently told PTI: "Even back then, I was confident that he would go on to rule the cinema industry. I knew there was something special about him that would make people go crazy for him."

The movie also turned into a big success, making Vijay a megastar. His family had by then understood that giving an image to the star was important to building his popularity.

Vijay's family introduced the promotional title "Ilaya Thalapathy" (Young Commander) for his third ...