The old woman, overwhelmed with joy following Vijay's gesture, said that he looked “just like he does in his movies”.

Updated on: Sep 1, 2026, 20:38:35 IST

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Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay may have quit acting and his on-screen life, but his stardom and connect with people still remain a key highlight of his new political career, a glimpse of which was on display when he made an impromptu stop during his official duties and made the day of an old woman with his sweet gesture — gifting her his sunglasses.

Vijay was in Salem on Tuesday, where he conducted inspection of the Mettur hydroelectric power station and opened the sluice gates of the Stanley Reservoir at Mettur to facilitate agricultural activities.

Later on his way to the airport, he made a stop which was not part of his schedule — a roadside farm house.

He stepped down and walked towards a group a elderly women working in a field there to greet them, one of whom was Chellam.

As Vijay's convoy attracted crowd, Chellam also moved towards him to get a better view of who he was. Once she realised, she held Vijay's hand. Together, both of them took a walk around the garden area as Vijay asked her name and checked on her well-being.

Then, in a real-life hero-like fashion, he reached for his Christian Dior sunglasses and placed them on her eyes, even as he hesitated. With little persuading, she let him. The moment, according to Chellam, was like winning a "crore of rupees."

Vijay then went to a cattle shed owned by local farmer Palanisamy and interacted with people there during his short 15-minute stop.

‘Looked just like he does in his movies’

Chellam, overwhelmed with joy following Vijay's gesture, said that he looked “just like he does in his movies”.

“I was so happy I told him I would defend him if anyone ever tried to harm him,” she said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

Chellam recalled that Vijay asked her if she had eaten. “I told him I hadn't, because I was waiting to see him first”.

"He told me he had already eaten and insisted that I go and eat," she added.

“I was so surprised that he suddenly came here. I used to hate when someone would beat him in movies,” Chellam said.

During Vijay's visit, in which he also distributed gifts such as dhotis and sarees to the host family, he also discussed agricultural matters with them.

However, overwhelmed with joy of meeting Vijay and his gesture for her, Chellam forgot to mention the hardships she is facing, including losing her ration card, inability to do physical labour due to old age and dependency on a modest monthly allowance just to buy food, the report said.

But the gesture deeply moved Chellam and became a memory that she said will never forget.

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