Udhayanidhi Stalin (born 27 November 1977) is an Indian politician, film producer and former actor who has been the 3rd and currentDeputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu since 2024, serving underhis fatherM. K. Stalin.[1][2] He is the youngest person inTamil Nadu to have ever held the position. He has also been the Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development in Tamil Nadu since December 2022.[3]
Udhayanidhi Stalin | |
|---|---|
 Udhayanidhi in 2020 | |
| 3rdDeputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu | |
| Assumed office 28 September 2024 | |
| Governor | R. N. Ravi |
| Chief Minister | M. K. Stalin |
| Preceded by | O. Panneerselvam |
| Cabinet Minister,Government of Tamil Nadu | |
| Assumed office 14 December 2022 | |
| Chief Minister | M. K. Stalin |
| Ministry and Departments |
|
| Preceded by | Siva. V Meyyanathan |
| Member ofTamil Nadu Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 11 May 2021 | |
| Speaker of the House | M. Appavu |
| Preceded by | J. Anbazhagan |
| Constituency | Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni |
| Youth WingSecretary ofDravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2019 | |
| President | M. K. Stalin |
| General Secretary | |
| Preceded by | M. P. Saminathan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1977-11-27)27 November 1977 (age 47) Madras,Tamil Nadu, India (present-day Chennai) |
| Political party | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (2019-present) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | SeeKarunanidhi family |
| Residence | 25/9, Chittaranjan Road, Alwarpet, Chennai |
| Alma mater | Loyola College, Chennai |
| Occupation | |
Born and raised inMadras (now Chennai), Udhayanidhi attended theDon Bosco school and later received a degree in commerce fromLoyola College inChennai. Prior to his career as a politician, Udhayanidhi has done social and community work with his grandfatherM. Karunanidhi and fatherM. K. Stalin to many communities aroundTamil Nadu.
In 2019, Udhayanidhi made his entrance into politics by being appointed theYouth wing Secretary ofDravida Munnetra Kazhagam party under the guidance of his father Stalin. In 2021, he was elected aMember of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly withM. Appavu as the speaker. In 2022, he was once again appointed by his father to assume the role of Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development in his cabinet after which he became aCabinet Minister in theGovernment of Tamil Nadu.
Early life and family
editUdhayanidhi was born on 27 November 1977 as the son ofM. K. Stalin, Son of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.Karunanidhi, and the grandson of one of the longest serving Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu,M. Karunanidhi.He attended theDon Bosco school and has a degree in commerce fromLoyola College inChennai.[4][5][6] Several of his relatives have been actively involved in politics, and Tamil cinema since the 1950s. His cousinsArulnithi andDayanidhi Azhagiri are also an actor and a producer, respectively.[7]
Film career
editUdhayanidhi's first film as a producer withRed Giant Movies wasKuruvi (2008), starringVijay.[8][9][10] He also produced two films directed byK. S. Ravikumar,Aadhavan (2009) andManmadan Ambu (2010).[11][12] He producedAR Murugadoss's science fiction film7aum Arivu (2011), while also working as a distributor, achieving success through his four 2010 releases:Gautham Vasudev Menon'sVinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa,[13]A. L. Vijay'sMadrasapattinam,[14]M. Rajesh'sBoss Engira Bhaskaran[15] andPrabhu Solomon'sMynaa.[16]
In 2012, he debuted as a lead actor inM. Rajesh's romantic comedyOru Kal Oru Kannadi (2012), co-starring withHansika Motwani andSanthanam. Stalin received positive reviews for his performance of an unemployed youth.Behindwoods noted: "Udhay's portrayal of Saravanan is neat and enjoyable. He scored well in his debut supported Santhanam well in the film", whileSify.com added: "Udhay's debut is promising and hats off to him to underplay his role".[17][18] Stalin won theFilmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance.[19] The success ofOru Kal Oru Kannadi prompted Stalin to continue acting and he appeared inIdhu Kathirvelan Kadhal (2014) andNanbenda (2015), both films featuring him oppositeNayanthara.[20][21] He worked onGethu (2016), withAmy Jackson[22] and then performed in the courtroom dramaManithan (2016), withHansika Motwani, a remake of the Hindi filmJolly LLB.[23]
In 2017, he has worked in the comedy entertainerSaravanan Irukka Bayamaen from directorEzhil,[24] followed byPodhuvaga Emmanasu Thangam[25] and action thriller,Ippadai Vellum. Stalin has delivered a decent performance with his share of subtleness.[26] The next project was the dramaNimir (2018), a remake of Malayalam filmMaheshinte Prathikaaram directed byPriyadarshan[27] then following the romantic drama,Kanne Kalaimaane.[28]
In 2020, he appeared inMysskin'sPsycho which is a dive into the psyche of a serial killer.[29] In 2022, he play as IPS officer inNenjuku Needhi, remake of the Hindi filmArticle 15.[30] Then, Udhayanidhi starred inMagizh Thirumeni's thrillerKalaga Thalaivan.[31] Udhayanidhi made his final film appearance inMaamannan (2023).[32]
2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections
editUdhayanidhi Stalin contested and won in the Chepauk – Thiruvallikeni Assembly Constituency in the2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election.[33]
Udhayanidhi Stalin introduced a robotic sewer cleaner in his constituency of Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni for the first time in Tamil Nadu on 21 June 2021.[34]
Udhayanidhi Stalin was nominated as a member ofAnna University's Syndicate for a period of three years. The announcement was made by Speaker M. Appavu in the Assembly on 13 September 2021.[35][36]
Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development (2022—present)
editUdhayanidhi Stalin was sworn in as minister in Youth Welfare and Sports Development, in his father's cabinet inTamil Nadu on 14 December 2022.[37]
Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (2024—present)
editUdhayanidhi was nominated as deputy chief minister in 9.00 p.m on 28 September 2024. He is the youngest person in the state's history to hold the position as deputy chief minister.[38]
Electoral performance
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMK | Udhayanidhi Stalin | 93,285 | 68.92 | +21.60 | |
| PMK | Kassali | 23,930 | 17.68 | New | |
| NTK | Jayasimmaraja S. M. | 9,193 | 6.79 | +5.53 | |
| IJK | Mohammed Idris K. | 4,096 | 3.03 | New | |
| NOTA | None of the above | 2,061 | 1.52 | −0.91 | |
| Margin of victory | 69,355 | 51.24 | +41.38 | ||
| Turnout | 135,344 | 57.82 | −4.47 | ||
| DMKhold | Swing | +21.60 | |||
Controversies
editComments on Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley
editDuring an election rally atDharapuram in 2021, Udhyanidhi alleged that bothSushma Swaraj andArun Jaitley died due to stress from Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, responding to comments made by the Prime Minister at Dharapuram, where Modi had said that Udhyanidhi had reached the top post in the party, sidelining many leaders.[39][40]
Both Bansuri Swaraj, the daughter of Sushma Swaraj, and Sonali Jaitley Bakshi, the daughter of Arun Jaitley, called the comments false.[41][42]
Following this, theElection Commission of India (EC) issued a notice of election violation to Udhayanidhi and asked him to respond.[43]
Remarks onSanatana Dharma
editOn September 2, 2023, while addressing a conference organized in Tamil Nadu, Stalin made a controversial statement likeningSanatana Dharma to diseases likemalaria anddengue. He emphasized that Sanatana Dharma should not merely be opposed but must be eradicated, claiming that it opposessocial justice and equality. This remark was met with widespread outrage across the nation, with many interpreting it as acall for genocide. Political leaders from theINDIA bloc, notably theChief Minister of West BengalMamata Banerjee, publicly distanced themselves from Stalin's remarks, expressing their disapproval.[44][45]
Following this, seniorSupreme Court lawyer Vineet Jindal reported the remarks to the Delhi Police calling them "provocative, inciting and defamatory."[46] Lawyer Sudhir Kumar Ojha also filed a complaint with the Muzaffarpur Magistrate Court.[47]
Stalin said he was standing by his stance despite theMadras High Court's criticism of the police for not taking action against him. He claims he hasn't said anything wrong and is ready to face legal consequences, stating that his ideology aligns with that ofB.R. Ambedkar,Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (Periyar), andThirumavalavan.[48]
A letter signed by 262 notable citizens and sent to Chief JusticeDY Chandrachud pressed for the Supreme Court to take up the case on its own.[49] The Supreme Court subsequently began an investigation into the remarks.[50] On March 4, 2024 during the hearing of a plea, the Supreme Court of India rebuked Udhayanidhi Stalin over his reported comments and questioned why he had approached the court to consolidate the FIRs filed against him after allegedly misusing his right to freedom of speech and expression. The court also noted that, as a minister, Stalin should have exercised caution in his statements and been mindful of the potential consequences.[51]
Personal life
editUdhayanidhi marriedKiruthiga Udhayanidhi in 2002. The couple has a son named Inba and a daughter named Tanmaya. Kiruthiga, who heads the lifestyle magazineInbox 1305,[52] has also directed the filmsVanakkam Chennai (2013) andKaali (2018).[53][54] In 2021, their son signed forNEROCA FC football club which plays in theI-League.[55][56] Udhayanidhi describes himself as an atheist.[57]
Filmography
edit| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
As actor
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Aadhavan | Servant | Guest appearance; Also producer |
| 2012 | Oru Kal Oru Kannadi | Saravanan | Also producer |
| Won—SIIMA Award for Best Male Debutant Won—Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – South Won—Norway Tamil Film Festival Award for Best Newcomer Actor | |||
| 2013 | Vanakkam Chennai | Flat Tenant | Guest appearance; Also producer |
| 2014 | Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal | Kathirvelan | Also producer |
| 2015 | Nannbenda | Sathya | Also producer |
| 2016 | Gethu | Sethu | Also producer |
| Manithan | Sakthivel | Also producer | |
| 2017 | Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen | Saravanan | Also producer |
| Podhuvaga Emmanasu Thangam | Ganesh | ||
| Ippadai Vellum | Madhusoodhanan | ||
| 2018 | Nimir | Selvam | |
| 2019 | Kanne Kalaimaane | Kamala Kannan | Also producer |
| 2020 | Psycho | Gautham | |
| 2022 | Nenjuku Needhi | S. Vijayaraghavan | |
| Kalaga Thalaivan | Thirumaaran | Also producer | |
| 2023 | Kannai Nambathey | Arun | [58] |
| Maamannan | Athiveeran (Veera) | Also producer; final film role[59] |
As producer
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Kuruvi | |
| 2009 | Aadhavan | |
| 2010 | Manmadan Ambu | |
| 2011 | 7aum Arivu | |
| 2012 | Neerparavai | |
| 2013 | Vanakkam Chennai | |
| 2024 | Indian 2 | [60] |
| 2025 | Kadhalikka Neramillai |
As distributor
edit| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa | |
| 2010 | Madrasapattinam | |
| 2010 | Boss Engira Bhaskaran | |
| 2010 | Mynaa | |
| 2019 | Bakrid | |
| 2021 | Aranmanai 3 | |
| 2022 | Radhe Shyam | Tamil version |
| 2022 | Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal | |
| 2022 | Beast | |
| 2022 | Don | |
| 2022 | Vikram | |
| 2022 | Cobra | |
| 2022 | Captain | |
| 2022 | Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu | |
| 2022 | Ponniyin Selvan: I | |
| 2022 | Love Today | |
| 2023 | Thunivu | |
| 2023 | Varisu | |
| 2023 | Ponniyin Selvan: II | |
| 2023 | Maveeran |
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External links
editOfficial
edit- Udhayanidhi Stalin Deputy Chief Minister official website
- Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin
Other
edit