Chennai: Actor Thalapathy Vijay has announced his retirement from acting career. He has decided to bid farewell to films after a long film career of 33 years. Vijay started his career at the age of 10 as a child artist in the Tamil film Vetri. At the age of 18, he debuted as a hero with the film Naalaiya Theerpu (1992).

Vijay made this announcement on Saturday, during the audio launch of director H Vinoth's film Jan Nayagan in Malaysia. He is currently 51 years old, and Jan Nayagan will be his last film. From the stage, he clearly stated that he would now focus entirely on politics.

Vijay formed his political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam last year, and now his party will also contest the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections to be held in 2026.

Addressing his fans, Vijay said, “Only one thing matters to me. People come to theatres for me and stand in line. That's why I want to stand for them for the next 30-33 years. For these very fans, I am retiring from cinema.”

He further said that he had to face all kinds of criticism from the first day of his career. Despite this, his fans always stood by him. Vijay said that he would never forget the love and support he received for 33 years.