Udhayanidhi Stalin

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Udhayanidhi Stalin
Udhayanidhi in 2020
3rd Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Assumed office
28 September 2024
GovernorR. N. Ravi
Chief MinisterM. K. Stalin
Preceded byO. Panneerselvam
Cabinet Minister, Government of Tamil Nadu
Assumed office
14 December 2022
Chief MinisterM. K. Stalin
Ministry and Departments
  • Youth Welfare
  • Sports Development
  • Special Programme Implementation Department & Poverty Alleviation Programme
  • Rural Indebtedness
Preceded bySiva. V Meyyanathan
Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
Assumed office
11 May 2021
Speaker of the HouseM. Appavu
Preceded byJ. Anbazhagan
ConstituencyChepauk-Thiruvallikeni
Youth Wing Secretary of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Assumed office
4 July 2019
PresidentM. K. Stalin
General Secretary
Preceded byM. P. Saminathan
Personal details
Born (1977-11-27) 27 November 1977 (age 47)
Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
(present-day Chennai)
Political partyDravida Munnetra Kazhagam (2019-present)
Spouse
(m. 2002)
Children2
Parents
RelativesSee Karunanidhi family
Residence25/9, Chittaranjan Road, Alwarpet, Chennai
Alma materLoyola College, Chennai
Occupation

Udhayanidhi Stalin (born 27 November 1977) is an Indian politician, film producer and former actor who has been the 3rd and current Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu since 2024, serving under his father M. K. Stalin.[1][2] He is the youngest person in Tamil 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]

Born and raised in Madras (now Chennai), Udhayanidhi attended the Don Bosco school and later received a degree in commerce from Loyola College in Chennai. Prior to his career as a politician, Udhayanidhi has done social and community work with his grandfather M. Karunanidhi and father M. K. Stalin to many communities around Tamil Nadu.

In 2019, Udhayanidhi made his entrance into politics by being appointed the Youth wing Secretary of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party under the guidance of his father Stalin. In 2021, he was elected a Member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly with M. 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 a Cabinet Minister in the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Early life and family

Udhayanidhi was born on 27 November 1977 as the son of M. K. Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and the grandson of one of the longest serving Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi. He attended the Don Bosco school and has a degree in commerce from Loyola College in Chennai.[4][5][6] Several of his relatives have been actively involved in politics, and Tamil cinema since the 1950s. His cousins Arulnithi and Dayanidhi Azhagiri are also an actor and a producer, respectively.[7]

Film career

Udhayanidhi's first film as a producer with Red Giant Movies was Kuruvi (2008), starring Vijay.[8][9] [10] He also produced two films directed by K. S. Ravikumar, Aadhavan (2009) and Manmadan Ambu (2010).[11][12] He produced AR Murugadoss's science fiction film 7aum Arivu (2011), while also working as a distributor, achieving success through his four 2010 releases: Gautham Vasudev Menon's Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa,[13] A. L. Vijay's Madrasapattinam,[14] M. Rajesh's Boss Engira Bhaskaran[15] and Prabhu Solomon's Mynaa.[16]

Udhayanidhi at the 60th South Filmfare Awards in 2013

In 2012, he debuted as a lead actor in M. Rajesh's romantic comedy Oru Kal Oru Kannadi (2012), co-starring with Hansika Motwani and Santhanam. 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", while Sify.com added: "Udhay's debut is promising and hats off to him to underplay his role".[17][18] Stalin won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance.[19] The success of Oru Kal Oru Kannadi prompted Stalin to continue acting and he appeared in Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal (2014) and Nanbenda (2015), both films featuring him opposite Nayanthara.[20][21] He worked on Gethu (2016), with Amy Jackson[22] and then performed in the courtroom drama Manithan (2016), with Hansika Motwani, a remake of the Hindi film Jolly LLB.[23]

In 2017, he has worked in the comedy entertainer Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen from director Ezhil,[24] followed by Podhuvaga 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 drama Nimir (2018), a remake of Malayalam film Maheshinte Prathikaaram directed by Priyadarshan[27] then following the romantic drama, Kanne Kalaimaane.[28]

In 2020, he appeared in Mysskin's Psycho which is a dive into the psyche of a serial killer.[29] In 2022, he play as IPS officer in Nenjuku Needhi, remake of the Hindi film Article 15.[30] Then, Udhayanidhi starred in Magizh Thirumeni's thriller Kalaga Thalaivan.[31] Udhayanidhi made his final film appearance in Maamannan (2023).[32]

2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections

Udhayanidhi Stalin contested and won in the Chepauk – Thiruvallikeni Assembly Constituency in the 2021 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 of Anna 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)

Udhayanidhi Stalin was sworn in as minister in Youth Welfare and Sports Development, in his father's cabinet in Tamil Nadu on 14 December 2022.[37]

Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (2024—present)

Udhayanidhi was nominated as deputy chief minister in 9.00 p.m on 28 September 2024, by his own father M.K. Stalin. He is the youngest person in the state's history to hold the position as deputy chief minister.[38]

Electoral performance

2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election: Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni
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
DMK hold Swing +21.60


Controversies

Comments on Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley

During an election rally at Dharapuram in 2021, Udhyanidhi alleged that both Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley died due to stress from Prime Minister Narendra 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, the Election Commission of India (EC) issued a notice of election violation to Udhayanidhi and asked him to respond.[43]

Remarks on Sanatana Dharma

On September 2, 2023, while addressing a conference organized by the Tamil Nadu, M.K.Stalin made a controversial statement likening Sanatana Dharma to diseases like malaria and dengue. He emphasized that Sanatana Dharma should not merely be opposed but must be eradicated, claiming that it opposes social justice and equality. This remark was met with widespread outrage across the nation, with many interpreting it as a call for genocide. Political leaders from the INDIA bloc, notably the Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee, publicly distanced themselves from Stalin's remarks, expressing their disapproval.[44][45]

Following this, senior Supreme 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 the Madras 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 of B.R. Ambedkar, Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (Periyar), and Thirumavalavan.[48]

A letter signed by 262 notable citizens and sent to Chief Justice DY 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

Udhayanidhi married Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi in 2002. The couple has a son named Inba and a daughter named Tanmaya. Kiruthiga, who heads the lifestyle magazine Inbox 1305,[52] has also directed the films Vanakkam Chennai (2013) and Kaali (2018).[53][54] In 2021, their son signed for NEROCA FC football club which plays in the I-League.[55][56] Udhayanidhi describes himself as an atheist.[57]

Filmography

Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released

As actor

List of Udhayanidhi Stalin film credits as actor
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
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

List of Udhayanidhi Stalin film credits as producer
Year Title Notes
2008 Kuruvi
2009 Aadhavan
2010 Manmadan Ambu
2011 7aum Arivu
2012 Neerparavai
2013 Vanakkam Chennai
2024 Indian 2 [60]

As distributor

List of Udhayanidhi Stalin film credits as distributor
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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