After 2 decades of fan rivalry, CM Vijay to flag off Ajith's race. Internet reacts

Fans of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay and Kollywood actor Ajith Kumar may have spent decades on opposite sides of a rather noisy fan war, but Silverstone could be where they finally find common ground. Vijay is set to wave the ceremonial green flag at the Le Mans Cup round at Silverstone, United Kingdom on September 12, where Ajith will compete. The unexpected crossover has caught fans' attention, not just because two of Tamil cinema's biggest stars will be at the same race, but because of everything their names have represented to their fan bases over the years.The Le Mans Cup organisers announced Vijay as the special guest for the Silverstone round. In a post on social media, they wrote, “A special guest will be waving the green flag at Silverstone this weekend! C Joseph VIJAY.”They later confirmed that the actor-turned-politician had been invited to support the Indian drivers competing in the UK and officially start the race in front of the 44-car grid.“[Vijay], the Indian actor and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, will be joining us to support our Indian drivers in the UK and officially start the #SilverstoneRound in front of the 44-car grid,” the organisers wrote.And there is one particularly interesting Indian driver on that grid – Ajith Kumar.Ajith Kumar Racing also shared a glimpse of the preparations at Silverstone, posting a video from the iconic circuit. The team showed its pre-race track walk, with the caption: “Before the cars roar, the team walks every inch of Silverstone. Reading the kerbs, the cambers, the braking zones. This is where the race really begins (sic).”Watch the clip here:Social media's wild reactionsNaturally, the internet did what it does best and immediately turned the announcement into a Vijay-Ajith moment.For fans who have watched the two stars' supporters go head-to-head for years, seeing Vijay officially flag off a race featuring Ajith feels almost surreal. One fan joked, “Two generations of anil-aamais who fought for 2.5 decades realising their whole life was a scam.” Another wrote, “Imagine showing this to a random anil or aamai in the 2010s.”For the uninitiated, anil (squirrel) and aamai (turtle) are terms rival fan groups have used to mock supporters of Vijay and Ajith respectively. The words became part of the larger fan-war vocabulary that has followed the two actors for years.But this time, there was considerably more excitement than rivalry.“Never imagined Ajith and Vijay fans would unite together,” a fan posted, alongside a clip from Meiyazhagan. Another called the moment the “COLDEST Collab on cards”, while a third fan pointed out just how long this particular rivalry has lasted.“Before AK Racing and VJ TVK eras, this duo witnessed peak offline and social media fan wars (sic),” the fan wrote. “In TN every groups would have Anils and Aamais. We expected this reunion much earlier, but it is happening now (sic)," wrote another.See all reactions here:All about Ajith-Vijay's 20-year-old fan rivalryFor nearly three decades, Vijay and Ajith have been at the centre of one of Tamil cinema’s most enduring fan rivalries. The two stars, who rose to fame around the same time in the 1990s, have been compared over everything from films and box office numbers to stardom, with their supporters carrying the battle from theatres to social media and across generations.Their fans have often clashed over their respective stars, turning every release and career milestone into another round of comparisons. Interestingly, Vijay and Ajith themselves have largely stayed away from the noise, often expressing respect and goodwill towards each other.Earlier this year, Ajith's wife Shalini spoke about the equation between the two stars and described it as a “good relationship”. She said they are happy for each other's success and called their bond “beautiful”. Ajith, too, has spoken about Vijay's success over the years and has maintained that he wishes him well.- EndsPublished On: Sep 11, 2026 18:18 IST