Fact Check: Tamil actor-politician Vijay converts to Islam? Here’s the truth
An image of Tamil actor-politician Vijay donning a skull cap has been circulating with the claim that he has embraced Islam.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 11 March 2025 6:32 PM IST
Claim: The image confirms that actor and TVK party chief Vijay has converted to Islam.
Fact: The claim is false. The viral image of the actor wearing a skull cap is from an Iftar party hosted by him on March 7.
Hyderabad: Renowned Tamil actor Vijay officially entered politics on February 2, 2024, with the launch of his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
In October 2024, TVK held its inaugural political conference in Vikravandi in TN, drawing a massive crowd of 800,000 to 1.2 million attendees. During the event, Vijay reaffirmed the party’s commitment to secular social justice principles and established TVK as a Dravidian party.
Meanwhile, an image of the actor wearing a skull cap and showing a heart sign has been circulating with the claim that he has embraced Islam.
A Facebook user shared the image and wrote, “After accepting Islam, South superstar Thalapathy Vijay gave a big reaction, saying, ‘Muslims have big hearts’.” (Translated from Hindi) (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. We found no reports of Vijay converting to Islam.
We conducted relevant keyword searches but found no media reports or official announcements from Vijay or TVK’s social media accounts confirming his conversion to Islam.
On a reverse image search, we found several images of Vijay in the skull cap, including the viral one, posted by the Polimer News X handle on March 7, stating that the actor is attending an Iftar party.
Following this lead, we conducted a keyword search and found a report by Mint published on March 8, titled “Vijay dons skullcap, hosts Iftar during Ramzan; video leaves netizens divided: ‘Politics can make a person do anything’.”
According to the report, Vijay hosted an Iftar gathering in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on March 7. He welcomed Muslims and praised the values of brotherhood and humanism. Wearing a white shirt and dhoti, with a skullcap on his head, he expressed gratitude to the attendees for accepting his invitation and participating in the event.
The report also noted mixed reactions on social media—while some praised him for promoting secularism, others criticised him for engaging in what they perceived as ‘appeasement’ politics. However, there was no mention in the report of the actor converting to Islam.
The Times of India reported on March 10 that the event hosted by Vijay saw a massive turnout and was held at the YMCA grounds in Royapettah. It was reportedly organised by his political party, with Imams from 15 mosques across Chennai in attendance. Arrangements were made to accommodate nearly 3,000 people.
Reports also stated that Vijay observed a full day of fasting, following Islamic customs, before hosting a feast for the attendees. However, there was no mention of him embracing Islam.
On March 11, several media outlets, including The Indian Express and Hindustan Times, reported that the event sparked controversy, leading to a police complaint filed by the Tamil Nadu Sunnat Jamath.
Quoting Syed Ghouse from the organisation, the reports stated that he criticised the event, saying, “Muslims were insulted in the event because many of them who attended the occasion were drunkards and hooligans. Having such people attend the pious event is an insult to Muslims who religiously follow the rules of Ramadan. It is a shame that Vijay has not even tendered an apology for the inconveniences that occurred at the event.”
NewsMeter reached out to Vijay’s office regarding the claims of his conversion, and we were told that the claims are false.
Therefore, we conclude that the claim of Vijay converting to Islam is false. The viral image of the actor wearing a skullcap is from an Iftar party he hosted on March 7.
