CHENNAI: The ‘Captain’ who lives in the hearts of legions of his admirers was laid to rest on Friday with full state honours after tens of thousands bid him a teary farewell. Mourners lined up on both sides of the roads as the decorated truck carrying Vijayakant’s hearse crawled its way in a 10-km-long procession from Island Grounds to the headquarters of DMDK in Koyambedu.
The final procession began at 3 pm from the Island Grounds after people from various walks of life paid their respects to the departed leader on Friday. On top of the van carrying the body, the DMDK founder-president’s two sons stood with folded hands thanking the people standing on the roadsides to get a glimpse of their beloved actor. Premalatha Vijayakant, wife of Vijayakant was sitting by the side of the coffin, as the truck waded through the crowd slowly on EVR Salai and along Poonamalle High Road.
As the procession started two hours behind schedule, the final rites, scheduled for 4.45 pm, were delayed by an hour. On Friday, too, several top leaders paid their last respects to the matinee idol’s mortal remains. Governor R N Ravi, who placed a wreath, conveyed his personal condolences to Premalatha Vijayakant and her two sons.
In a mark of respect to the departed leader, CM MK Stalin touched twice the wreath he placed on the coffin. “Friend, you will live in our hearts forever,” he said. Earlier, actors Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan paid their respects to their colleague of decades. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, accompanied by BJP state president K Annamalai and Pon Radhakrishnan, also paid her respects to Vijayakant at Island Grounds.
Sitharaman said PM Modi had instructed her to pay the last respects on behalf of the Union government.
“Vijayakant used to get angry at his friends, politicians, and media people as well. But no one will get angry at Vijayakant because there used to be a genuine reason for his anger. There would be no selfish motive behind his anger but there used to be affection,” Rajinikanth said and recalled how Vijayakant regulated the crowd at a hospital when he was being treated.
“The unique trait of Vijayakant I liked is his righteous anger. I am a fan of that anger. I believe that Vijayakant came to public life only because of that anger. For people like me, losing honest persons like Vijayakant is indeed causing loneliness,” Kamal Haasan said after paying homage at Island Grounds.
Around the time when the funeral procession started, a video showing Vijayakant regulating the crowd during the funeral procession of legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan in 2021 went viral on social media. When Sivaji Ganesan died, his son and actor Prabhu was abroad and it was Vijayakant who made all the arrangements for the final rites as well as the funeral procession.
Several motorists who were stuck behind the procession took the arterial roads. Some people parked their vehicles at metro stations along the Poonamallee High Road and took the metro and local trains, said the police. Anna Flyover in Aminjikarai Junction near Skywalk Mall was packed with people witnessing the procession. Koyambedu bridge was also crowded with people, making it difficult for vehicles to commute.