In 2023, when John Arokiasamy entered Tamil film superstar Vijay’s political orbit, he was said to have been fascinated by one number above all else: 10 lakh. That was roughly the number of “likes” Vijay could command online for even an ordinary social media post in one hour at the time.

The question, friends recall John repeatedly asking in private conversations, was simple: could that scale of digital affection be converted into votes? “It will. Wait and see,” he would tell them.

For much of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)’s campaign in the recent state Assembly elections, in which it pulled off a stunning win, the party’s public face was its founder, Vijay – cinematic, emotionally charged, almost deliberately elusive.…