The Nadigar Sangam organized a special memorial event for the Tamil film fraternity to pay its tribute to Vijayakanth on Friday evening, January 19. Several leading Tamil cinema names remembered 'Captain', including Vishal, who gave an assurance that he is ready to act in the late-actor-politician's younger son Shanmuga Pandian's film in the future. Vishal started his speech by saying, "As a human being in this world where this God named Vijayakanth lived, as an actor in this same film industry that he was a part of, as an ardent fan of 'Captain', as the General Secretary of the Nadigar Sangam in which he was a leader, and I have no fear in saying this because of the courage he's given me, but as a voter who voted for his DMDK party, I want to thank you all for coming here. Only after a person's death do we call them as a God, but he was addressed as such when he was alive."
During his speech, Vishal noted Vijayakanth's efforts to provide food to aspiring film directors working in the film industry and struggling to make it in cinema. He also mentioned about how he and actor Karthi were not present in Chennai during the last moments of 'Captain' and issued an apology to Vijayakanth's family. Vishal then informed Vijayakanth's younger son Shanmuga Pandian that he is ready to act alongside him in a film in the future as a mark of respect to his late father.
Speaking about acting with Shanmuga Pandian, Vishal stated, " 'Captain' was a strong pillar for many actors to come up in life. He wouldn't think twice nor did he get any money. I'm sure he wouldn't have taken any money if it was offered to him. Even though he didn't have the need to do any of this back then, he wanted to create a platform for their growth. If you have the wish to work with me, I'm ready to come and act in your film. Similar to how 'Captain' provided a platform for everyone, if you wish to make use of me, I'm here for you. I'm not saying this for the sake of it, but I'll come and stay by your side as it is my wish to see you rise to a good place like your father."
Vishal then spoke about Vijayakanth's bold nature and said, "Whenever I see him, I feel one thing and that's his courage. He speaks from his heart and there's no filter." He also recalled the time when 'Captain asked his wife Premalatha to take out all her jewelry from their safe locker to safeguard all the Nadigar Sangam documents instead. Vishal then spoke about Vijayakanth being accepted by everyone because he treated all of them equally citing the people at Nadigar Sangam memorial event as a testimony.
Continuing his speech about how Vijayakanth gave opportunities to many new filmmakers back in the day, Vishal said, "He didn't want any producer to face losses. He's the only actor to introduce 54 debutant D. F. Tech directors to the film industry and as far as I know he's the 'Ulaganayagan'. Who will give a chance to a new director today? New directors will usually be hesitant to approach a big star, but not only he did he give an opportunity to those 54 people, but he provided a livelihood to their families. He's given such a great contribution to cinema. He's a person who has made India proud and not just Tamil Nadu. No actor in India has achieved the feats he has accomplished and nobody was as brave as he was. There will be complaints against many artistes, but he's the only actor without any complaint."
Vishal reiterated that that the people who had come to pour in their tributes to Vijayakanth at the memorial event was because of his earnest efforts for the Nadigar Sangam till the end. He concluded his speech by telling Vijayakanth's sons Vijaya Prabhakaran and Shanmuga Pandian that he will always be there for them. Watch Vishal's speech at Vijayakanth's memorial event in the video below:
