Fatwa issued against Thalapathy Vijay

Actor-turned-politician Thalapathy Vijay has found himself in the middle of a religious and political controversy following an iftar party he hosted in Chennai on March 7. The event, meant to celebrate the spirit of Ramadan, has sparked outrage from several Sunni Muslim groups, leading to a fatwa being issued against him by a religious body in Uttar Pradesh.

Religious leader calls Vijay anti-Muslim
As reported by India Today, the fatwa was issued by Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilly, the National President of the

All India Muslim Jamaat

and Chief Mufti of Chashme Darul Ifta. According to reports, he accused Vijay of insulting Islam and called him “anti-Muslim”. The fatwa points out Vijay’s past work and suggests that his actions at the iftar event were politically motivated.

According to the fatwa, inviting “alcoholics and gamblers to Iftar” is both illegal and sinful. The cleric advised Muslims in Tamil Nadu not to trust Vijay or include him in any of their religious events.
Maulana Razvi said, “Vijay Thalapathy is using Muslim sentiments to make his way into politics from the film world when his history is full of anti-Muslim sentiment.” He added, “In his film ‘The Beast’, he has linked Muslims and the entire Muslim community with terrorism and militancy. In the film, Thalapathy tries to show Muslims as ‘monsters’ and ‘devils’. And now since he is entering politics and he wants votes, he is doing Muslim appeasement,” as quoted by India Today.
He also said, “Muslims should distance themselves from

Vijay Thalapathy

, not attend his programs and not invite him to their religious programs.”

Complaint filed in Chennai
Back in Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu Sunnat Jamath also raised concerns. On 11 March, the group filed a police complaint in Chennai, saying that Vijay’s iftar event had included people who had no connection to fasting or Islam. The party was organised by Vijay’s political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), and held at the YMCA grounds in Chennai. Vijay wore a skull cap, joined the evening namaz, and broke his fast with those present.
However, the Sunnat Jamath said the event was poorly organised and disrespectful. The group’s treasurer, Syed Kous, told the media, “Muslims were insulted at the Iftar programme organised by Vijay. We believe the participation of drunkards and rowdies who had nothing to do with fasting or Iftar has insulted Muslims.”
He also added, “Legal action should be taken against Vijay to ensure that this does not happen again.” Kous made it clear that the complaint was not made for attention, saying, “We didn’t file the complaint for publicity.”
No response from Vijay yet
So far, Vijay has not made any public statement about the fatwa or the police complaint. Reportedly, he is preparing to contest the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections. On the film front, Vijay was last seen in 'The Greatest of All Time (The GOAT)', directed by Venkat Prabhu.