Anwar Ibrahim on Friday revealed that he had spoken over the phone with his “friend,” Vijay, and once again congratulated the actor-turned-politician on his major electoral victory in Tamil Nadu.
Sharing details of the conversation on the social media platform X, the Malaysian Prime Minister said he had caught up with Vijay and extended his congratulations on the “great responsibility” now placed upon him following his victory in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
In his post, Anwar Ibrahim stated that he hoped Vijay would continue to receive the strength, wisdom, and leadership ability necessary to govern effectively and work toward the welfare and future progress of the people of Tamil Nadu.
The Malaysian Prime Minister also disclosed that during the conversation,n he informed Vijay about his upcoming visit to India in September for the BRICS Summit, where he is expected to hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Anwar Ibrahim further added that if circumstances permit during the trip, he would also like to make a brief visit to Tamil Nadu.
This marks the second time within less than two weeks that the Malaysian Prime Minister has publicly congratulated Vijay following his historic electoral success. Earlier as well, Ibrahim had praised Vijay’s victory while highlighting the deep cultural and historical connections shared between Malaysia and Tamil Nadu.
In his earlier congratulatory message, Anwar Ibrahim had remarked that for many years, audiences had watched Vijay defeat corrupt politicians and villains in films, but that the people of Tamil Nadu had now entrusted him with a much greater real-life responsibility through democratic mandate.
The Malaysian leader also referenced the popular song “Oru Viral Puratchi” from Vijay’s film Sarkar. The phrase translates roughly to “one-finger revolution,” symbolising the power of voting and democratic change.
Referring to the slogan, Ibrahim had written that the “one-finger revolution” now stood on the verge of creating history and expressed his desire to work closely with Chief Minister Vijay in the coming years.
The public warmth displayed by Anwar Ibrahim toward Vijay has also drawn attention because of the strong cultural and demographic links between Malaysia and Tamil-speaking communities.
Malaysia is home to one of the world’s largest overseas Indian-origin populations. As of 2026, the country reportedly has nearly two lakh Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), including both skilled and unskilled workers, while the wider Indian-origin community in Malaysia is estimated at around 2.75 million people.
That Indian-origin population represents nearly 6.8 percent of Malaysia’s total population, making it one of the largest Indian diaspora communities anywhere in the world.
A significant majority of the Indian-origin population in Malaysia — estimated at nearly 90 percent — speaks Tamil. Other Indian languages spoken within the community include Malayalam, Telugu, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, and Marathi.
Because of these strong linguistic and cultural ties, political developments in Tamil Nadu often attract considerable attention and emotional interest among large sections of the Malaysian Indian community.
Anwar Ibrahim’s repeated public congratulations to Vijay are therefore being viewed not only as a diplomatic gesture but also as a reflection of the broader historical and cultural relationship shared between Malaysia and Tamil-speaking communities across the region.
