The hero of Chalai street; Vijayakanth’s connections with Kerala's capital

Much before he made a mark in the Tamil film industry, actor and politician Vijayakanth, who passed away in Chennai on Thursday, spent most days of his life in Thiruvananthapuram. He had even owned a gold covering jewelry shop, which operated from Chalai, Thiruvananthapuram.

Vijayakanth elaborated on his ties with the capital city during a visit to Thiruvananthapuram some 19 years ago in connection with the shooting of his movie 'Gajendra'. During the visit, he took a stroll along the busy streets here for ‘Malayala Manorama’, walking down memory lane. Having posed for photos at Chalai, Pazhavangadi, Thampanoor, and East Fort, he narrated a few stories of his connection with the capital city, interacted and shared his love with the fans who rushed to catch a glimpse of the Tamil superstar.

A native of Madurai, he used to reside at the house of Muthulakshmi, the sister of his childhood friend Sundararajan, at Chalai. Muthulakshmi’s husband, Kannan, used to run a gold covering shop 'Jyothi Jewellery Mart', which was located between Pazhavangadi and the Overbridge.

In his childhood, Vijayakanth used to travel to Thiruvananthapuram with his friends. He would board a train from Madurai and take a detour here over the next few days, before returning on Sunday evening. Watching movies formed a critical aspect of these sojourns. The old Sreekumar Theatre was his favourite place to watch movies. He would also spend time visiting other major attractions such as the Museum and the Kovalam beach, besides watching the circus show at Putharikandam Maidanam and tasting the food at the hotels here.

As he grew up, Vijayakanth once again began roaming through the streets of Thiruvananthapuram. But this time, these visits were made in pursuit of his dream to become a film actor. But no one would be considerate enough to offer a chance to a stout, dark youngster like him. An ardent fan of actor Sathyan, he would knock at several doors seeking a chance to act, though to no avail. In those days, Vijayakanth would leave the house at Chalai early in the morning and spend the whole day meeting different people for a chance to act. As all these efforts would come to naught, he would return home tired and spend the remaining day in the jewelry shop.

The functioning of the jewelry shop, meanwhile, fell into an abrupt crisis with Kannan’s death. Following this, Vijayakanth took over its ownership for Rs 7 lakh. He, however, could not run the business successfully and finally sold it off. Vijayakanth used to spent almost every Onam in Thiruvananthapuram in those days. He would spend the whole season soaking in the festive rush and the spirit of the city. A keen follower of leading Malayalam actors like Sathyan, Jayan, Sheela, Sharada, and Jayabharathi, he would watch all their movies. Vijayakanth never missed his regular visit to the Sree Padbhanabha Swamy Temple as well.

From his humble beginnings to becoming a celebrated actor and politician, his journey in the film industry was nothing short of spectacular.