A recent Instagram post by part-time-politician Vijay has gone viral, reportedly crossing over 10 million likes within a day an achievement widely circulated by local media and Vijay fans as a record-breaking moment. The post, a selfie video from Vijay’s second state-level TVK conference held in Madurai on 21 August 2025, currently stands at 12.5 million likes and 262,000 comments, despite Vijay having just 14.1 million followers on the platform.
However, the credibility of this viral success is now being questioned. Analysts and critics have pointed out signs of manipulated engagement, noting that the like count surpasses posts by global figures such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Virat Kohli, which is highly unusual for a regional political figure. This has led to growing speculation that paid promotion, or artificial boosting may be behind the viral numbers.
Unnatural Engagement Patterns
A closer look at the post’s performance reveals several red flags:
- The video saw an engagement spike of over 11.6 million likes in less than 24 hours.
- Instagram analytics indicate a 4,392% increase in followers and a 1,013% jump in engagement ratio in just a week.
- The number of comments also soared by 2,843%, raising doubts about the authenticity of the interaction.
Such disproportionate growth in engagement especially compared to established global celebrities has led many to suspect that the numbers are not organic but likely the result of third-party services, including bots or purchased likes and followers.
Demographic Discrepancies
Perhaps the most damning evidence lies in the geographical source of the engagement. Data suggests:
- Only 1.02% of likes are from Tamil Nadu, the core of Vijay’s fan base.
- A significant portion 38% originates from states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar, where Vijay’s political or film-related influence is minimal.
- 26% of engagement comes from Assam, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh, and another 18% from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Punjab.
Given Tamil Nadu’s population demographics, especially among the Instagram-active youth (ages 20–35), experts argue it’s highly unlikely for a political post to achieve such traction particularly when most engagement comes from regions with little to no connection to Vijay or his political outfit, TVK (Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam).
Pattern Repeats?
This isn’t the first time Vijay’s social media strategies have come under scrutiny. In an earlier incident, it was alleged that his team had purchased a Facebook page that previously belonged to a actress fan page to inflate their follower count, presenting an illusion of mass support online.
Allegations of Social Media Manipulation
Critics claim that this recent post may be yet another manufactured publicity stunt, estimating that such engagement inflation could cost anywhere between ₹40 to ₹50 lakh, if done through paid engagement platforms. The goal, they argue, is to project Vijay as a politically powerful figure with mass appeal using numbers that don’t hold up to scrutiny.
In conclusion, what appears to be a viral success on social media may, in fact, be a strategic digital façade aimed at inflating political credibility. As questions grow around the authenticity of Vijay’s Instagram popularity, there is increasing demand for transparency and independent verification of the metrics involved in such posts. Observers call this yet another instance of “old wine in a new bottle” a familiar tactic dressed in a new form to create an illusion of mass support.
Just Like His Box Office Numbers
Vijay-starrer Leo was touted as a historic blockbuster—hailed as the second highest-grossing Tamil film of 2023, the seventh highest-grossing Indian film of the year, the third highest-grossing Tamil film of all time, and the biggest Tamil hit overseas as well as in Tamil Nadu. Industry hype pegged its earnings at a staggering ₹600 crore.
But the producer’s official filing with the Income Tax Department told a very different story: the actual theatrical revenue stood at just ₹160.56 crore. The inflated figures had in fact bundled in pre-release and post-release sales of rights, which accounted for the bulk of collections:
- Digital rights: ₹124 crore
- Audio rights: ₹24 crore
- Hindi distribution rights: ₹24 crore
- South Indian satellite rights: ₹72 crore
In total, the verified revenue amounted to ₹404.56 crore—far short of the mythical ₹600 crore narrative.
Just like inflating box office numbers for his films, Vijay now seems to be inflating his social media posts to portray himself as a big political player.
(With inputs from Maridhas)
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