Thalapathy Vijay trips and falls at Chennai airport as fans crowd in; netizens slam security lapse

It’s the end of an era for Thalapathy Vijay, as he has officially announced his decision to step away from acting after an extraordinary 33-year journey in the film industry. The emotional revelation was made at the grand music launch event of Jana Nayagan held in Malaysia, where the superstar addressed a sea of devoted fans.

The audio launch was organized at Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on December 27, drawing nearly one lakh fans and entering the Malaysian Book of Records for the largest audience at such an event. Malaysia is home to the world’s largest Tamil diaspora after Sri Lanka, adding to the significance of the moment.

At the event, Vijay announced that he is giving up cinema to stand up for his fans, who, he said, built him a ‘kottai’ (fort), a Tamil symbol of a bastion, akin to Fort St George, which houses Tamil Nadu’s legislature, secretariat and Chief Minister’s office.

“When I entered the cinema, I thought I was building a small sand house here. But you all have built me a palace. Fans helped me build a fort… That’s why I’ve decided to stand for them. For the fans who gave up everything for me, I’m giving up cinema itself,” the actor said.

TVK chief and actor Vijay fell at Chennai Airport

Another video that has gone viral shows Vijay, on his return from Malaysia, surrounded by a huge crowd as he walked towards the exit area. Moments before entering his car, he tripped and fell as the crowd surged.

In the clips, he is seen surrounded by hundreds of fans outside the airport premises, shouting “Thalapathy” and trying to get close to him. Pushed and mobbed by the crowd, Vijay fell right in front of the car but maintained his calm and got up almost instantly.

Security personnel immediately rushed to his aid, lifted him, and helped him into the car.

Reportedly, according to visuals aired on some television channels, a car said to be part of Vijay’s convoy was also involved in a very minor mishap on the airport premises.

Fans are angry and have questioned the mismanagement by his security team.

One commented, “Thalapathy Vijay is alright.. But we need some serious civic sense and crowd management..” Another said, “Wherever you go, Thalapathy Anna, a huge crowd is bound to gather. So please travel only with proper planning and full security arrangements.”

A comment read, “Presence of irrelevant or unauthorised individuals also needs clarification. For public safety and transparency, CCTV footage must be reviewed and a proper enquiry conducted to understand how security protocols failed and to prevent such incidents in the future.” A second user said, “There are barely 200 people that you can’t even control, yet you’re blaming #Vijay for the #Karur political rally with over 40,000 attendees, thinking you could manage it with just 500–600 police.”

Jana Nayagan releases worldwide on January 9, 2026, for Pongal. It also stars Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Prakash Raj, Gautham Menon, Priyamani, and Naren. The film will be Vijay’s final film before he focuses on his political career as the head of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) political party.