Vijay's family tree: Meet the people behind Tamil Nadu's CM-in-waiting

As Vijay prepares to take office in Tamil Nadu, attention has turned to his family and film roots. Their story traces the personal and cinematic links that ran alongside his political rise.

In Short

• Vijay's father, filmmaker SA Chandrasekhar, introduced him to cinema
• Mother Shoba Chandrasekhar worked as a singer, writer and director
• Vijay's breakthrough came was Poove Unakkaga before action films made him a star

Actor-turned-politician Vijay is set to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in the coming days after his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), emerged as the single-largest party in the Assembly elections. Contesting the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections for the first time as TVK chief, Vijay secured 108 of the 234 seats, with the party finishing ahead of the DMK and the AIADMK, which have dominated the state's politics since the 1960s.

As attention turns to Vijay's political rise, there is also renewed interest in his family and the film background that shaped his public life. While much is known about the actor thanks to his phenomenal screen career, details about his family have remained relatively limited.

Vijay was born Joseph Vijay on June 22, 1974, to filmmaker SA Chandrasekhar and Shoba Chandrasekhar, who would make a name as a singer, writer and director.

Here's Vijay's family tree:

SA Chandrasekhar: Popularly known as SAC, Vijay's father is a director, producer, screenwriter and actor who was born in Thangachimadam in Tamil Nadu to Senathipathy Pillai, belonging to a Catholic family. SAC has directed more than 70 films across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi cinema, is known for his work with late actor Vijayakanth and has also played a key role in introducing his son Vijay to the film industry.

Shoba Chandrasekhar: Born to Lalitha Neelakantan, Vijay's mother Shoba has two siblings, SN Surendar and Sheela. She entered the film industry before marrying SAC in 1973, and has worked as a singer, writer and director. In all, Shoba has recorded 12 film songs during her career. She is also known for her devotional albums. Apart from son Vijay, SAC and Shoba also had a daughter, Vidhya.

Vijay: The hero of our story. He made his debut as a lead actor in Naalaiya Theerpu in 1992 at the age of 18. His early films, directed by his father, did not succeed, but Poove Unakkaga in 1996 marked his breakthrough. He went on to star in romantic films such as Kadhalukku Mariyadhai, Thullatha Manamum Thullum and Kushi, before moving towards action films including Thirumalai, Ghilli, Thirupaachi and Pokkiri in the early 2000s.

Later, Vijay shifted towards commercial films that presented him as a protector of the masses. Films such as Kaththi, Mersal, Sarkar, Beast and Leo have been important to his political journey. Vijay's final screen outing, Jana Nayagan, which is yet to release, is also said to be heavy on socio-political message. In all, he has appeared in 69 films so far and is among the highest-paid actors in India.

Vidhya: Vijay's younger sister died at the age of two. The reason for her death has not been disclosed publicly, though Vijay and members of his family have referred to the loss occasionally in public.

Sankgeetha Sornalingam: Vijay's wife Sankgeetha is a Sri Lankan Tamil, raised in London. Sankgeetha was a huge fan of Vijay. According to reports, she first met him as a fan after the success of Poove Unakaga in 1996 and later fell in love with him. They got married in 1999. While Vijay continued acting, she stayed away from the film industry. They have two children, Jason Sanjay and Divya Sasha.

In February 2026, Sankgeetha filed for divorce, accusing Vijay of having an extramarital relationship with a female actor. The case is ongoing.

Jason Sanjay: The elder of Vijay and Sankgeetha's two children, he studied filmmaking in the US and is preparing for his directorial debut in Tamil cinema. Jason is currently working on the post-production of his first film, Sigma, which stars Sundeep Kishan. The film's release date is expected to be announced soon. He had earlier made a cameo appearance in Vijay's Vettaikaaran.

Divya Sasha: Born on September 9, 2005, Vijay and Sankgeetha's daughter has largely remained away from the camera. She made a cameo appearance with Vijay in Atlee's Theri in 2016. It was reported that she was pursuing her graduation in Canada. Divya is not part of the film industry at present.

Vijay's extended family also has strong links to cinema.

SN Surendar: He is Shoba's brother, Vijay's maternal uncle and SA Chandrasekhar's brother-in-law. Surender is a playback singer, voice artist and actor, with credits including Naalaiya Theerpu, Chennai 600028, it's sequel and Ninu Veedanu Needanu Nene.

Sheela: She is Shoba's sister and Vijay's maternal aunt. She has acted in many television serials, including Pandian Stores, across multiple channels.

Vikranth: He is Vijay's maternal cousin and the nephew of Shoba and SA Chandrasekhar. His brother Sanjeev directed Thakka Thakka. Vikranth has acted in more than 20 films, was last seen in Mark and is seen in the JioHotstar Tamil series, LBW: Love Beyond Wicket. Vikranth is married to actor Manasa Hemachandran.

Vimala Rani Britto: She is Vijay's paternal aunt and SA Chandrasekhar's sister. She is an entrepreneur and educationalist.

Xavier Britto: Husband of Vimala Rani, he is Vijay's paternal uncle. He is a producer and an entrepreneur. He produced Vijay's Master under the banner XB Creators and has also produced films such as Rasigan, Senthoorapandi and Deva.

Sneha Britto: She is Vijay's paternal cousin and was born to Xavier Britto and Vimala Rani. Also a producer, she is married to Akash Murali, the brother of actor Atharvaa. Akash, the son of late actor Murali, made his acting debut with Vishnuvardhan's Nesippaya, which was produced by Sneha.

On May 4, Vijay's cousins gathered at his parents' home in Saligramam in Chennai to celebrate his win in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

With Vijay now preparing to take office after his first electoral contest, his family story runs alongside his journey from film star to the state's incoming Chief Minister.

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