Pradeep Gupta, chief of Axis My India, said his firm correctly predicted that actor Vijay's party would win a large number of seats in Tamil Nadu [1].
This outcome highlights a shift in the region's political landscape, where the influence of cinema-driven messaging can disrupt traditional polling expectations and established party dominance.
Gupta said other pollsters were skeptical of the forecast. "They were laughing at us for predicting Vijay's victory," Gupta said [2]. Despite the criticism, the data showed that Vijay's TVK was leading in more than 100 seats after several rounds of counting [2].
According to Gupta, the success of the actor-turned-politician was not accidental. He said that Vijay's on-screen roles embed political messaging that resonates with voters [1]. This strategic use of cinema allowed the actor to build a political identity before officially entering the electoral fray, a method that Axis My India used to forecast the party's success [1].
The polling firm's approach focused on the connection between the actor's film narratives and the actual sentiment of the electorate. While other analysts may have overlooked the impact of these cinematic messages, Gupta said the correlation was a key driver in the victory [1].
“"They were laughing at us for predicting Vijay's victory."”
The victory of Vijay's TVK party suggests that in Tamil Nadu, the boundary between cinema and politics remains highly permeable. By integrating political themes into commercial films, candidates can cultivate a broad voter base and build brand loyalty long before an election cycle begins, potentially rendering traditional polling models obsolete if they fail to account for cultural influence.
