Udhayanidhi Stalin

Udhayanidhi Stalin (born 27 November 1977) is an Indian politician who has been the incumbent Opposition Leader of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly since May 2026. He also served as the third Deputy Chief minister of Tamil Nadu from 2024 to 2026. Udhayanidhi is the son of M. K. Stalin, the eighth Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He is the third and the youngest to hold the position of deputy chief minister of the state. Udhayanidhi has served as the Minister of Youth welfare and Sports development from December 2022 to May 2026.

Udhayanidhi attended the Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Egmore, Madras and later received a degree in commerce from Loyola College, Chennai. Prior to his career as a politician, he was an actor who also produced and distributed films through his Red Giant Movies.

In 2019, Udhayanidhi entered into politics after being appointed as the secretary of the youth wing of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, led by his father Stalin. In 2021, he was elected as a Member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni Assembly constituency.

Early life and family Udhayanidhi Stalin was born on 27 November 1977, to M. K. Stalin and Durga Stalin. Both his father and his grandfather M. Karunanidhi have served as chief ministers. He attended the Don Bosco school and has a degree in commerce from Loyola College in Chennai. His cousins Arulnithi and Dayanidhi Azhagiri are involved in the film industry.

Film career Udhayanidhi founded the film production company Red Giant Movies in 2008 and the company's first film was Kuruvi (2008), starring Vijay. The company later produced Aadhavan (2009) and Manmadan Ambu (2010), directed by K. S. Ravikumar, and AR Murugadoss's science fiction film 7 Aum Arivu (2011). The company ventured into film distribution and released four films–Gautham Vasudev Menon's Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, A. L. Vijay's Madrasapattinam, M. Rajesh's Boss Engira Bhaskaran, and Prabhu Solomon's Mynaa in 2011.

In 2012, Udhayanidhi debuted as a lead actor in Rajesh's romantic comedy Oru Kal Oru Kannadi (2012), co-starring with Hansika Motwani and Santhanam. The film received mixed reviews for his performance as an unemployed youth. Behindwoods noted that "Udhay's portrayal of Saravanan is neat and enjoyable", while Sify commented "Udhay's debut is promising and hats off to him to underplay his role". He won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance. He continued acting in further movies and he appeared in the lead role in Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal (2014) and Nanbenda (2015), both films featuring him opposite Nayanthara. His next film was the action film Gethu with Amy Jackson in 2016. In the same year, he acted in the courtroom drama Manithan (2016), a remake of the Hindi film Jolly LLB.

In 2017, Udhayanidhi worked in the comedy entertainer Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen from director Ezhil, followed by Podhuvaga Emmanasu Thangam. Later, he acted in the action thriller Ippadai Vellum in which his performance was described as decent. His next film was the drama Nimir (2018), a remake of Malayalam film Maheshinte Prathikaaram directed by Priyadarshan, which released to negative reviews. He later acted in the romantic drama Kanne Kalaimaane alongside Tamannaah. In 2020, he appeared in Mysskin's Psycho, a film based on the story of a serial killer, which received positive reviews. In 2022, he played the role of a police office in Nenjuku Needhi, a remake of the Hindi film Article 15. He starred in Magizh Thirumeni's thriller Kalaga Thalaivan, which was a failure in the box office. He made his final film appearance in Maamannan (2023), and announced his resignation from Red Giant Movies in July 2023.

Political career Udhayanidhi contested and won from the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni Assembly constituency in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election. He introduced robotic sewer cleaners in his constituency for the first time in Tamil Nadu on 21 June 2021. On 13 September 2021, he was nominated as a member of Anna University's syndicate for a period of three years.

Udhayanidhi was sworn in as minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development on 14 December 2022. In September 2024, he was appointed as the deputy chief minister, becoming the third person and the youngest to hold the office.

Controversies During an election rally at Dharapuram in 2021, Udhyanidhi, while responding to comments made by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, where Modi had said that Udhyanidhi had reached a top position in the party by sidelining several senior leaders, alleged that former union ministers Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley died due to stress from work given by prime minister Modi. Bansuri Swaraj, the daughter of Sushma Swaraj, and Sonali Jaitley, the daughter of Arun Jaitley, condemned the statement. The Election Commission of India issued a notice to Udhayanidhi for violation of the code of conduct and asked him for a response.

On 2 September 2023, while addressing a conference, Udhayanidhi made a statement likening Sanatana Dharma to diseases like malaria and dengue. He stated that Sanatana Dharma should not merely be opposed but must be eradicated, claiming that it opposes social justice and equality. The remark was met with outrage, with many political leaders expressing their disapproval. Lawyer Vineet Jindal filed a complaint against Udhayanidhi with the Delhi Police calling them "provocative, inciting and defamatory", and advocate Sudhir Kumar Ojha filed a case with the Muzaffarpur Magistrate Court. The Madras High Court later criticised the Tamil Nadu Police for not initiating an action against him. However, Udhayanidhi retorted that he hasn't said anything wrong and is ready to face legal consequences, stating that his ideology aligns with that of B.R. Ambedkar, and Periyar. The Madras High Court ruled that Stalin's remark amounted to hate speech.

Following a letter signed by 262 notable citizens and addressed to the Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, the Supreme Court of India took suo moto cognisance of the case. On 22 September 2023, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Government of Tamil Nadu and Udhayanidhi to respond to the case. On 4 March 2024, the Supreme Court rebuked Udhayanidhi over his remarks for allegedly misusing his right to freedom of speech and expression. The court further noted that, as a minister, he should have exercised caution in his statements and been mindful of the potential consequences.

On 12 May 2026, during his maiden speech as Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Udhayanidhi reiterated: "Sanatana Dharma, which divides the people, must certainly be abolished/eradiated." The remarks came in the context of opposing caste divisions and alongside objections to the handling of the Tamil anthem “Tamil Thai Valthu”. They immediately reignited national debate. The BJP strongly condemned them as hate speech and "venom" against Hindu beliefs. Hindu groups organized protests in Tamil Nadu. Some TVK MLAs, such as VMS Mustafa, expressed support for opposing caste bias while clarifying they were not against religion. Udhayanidhi Stalin stated that his comments were aimed at eradicating caste-based inequality and oppression (echoing Periyar, Ambedkar, and Annadurai), not against visiting temples or religious faith. He emphasized equal rights in society and temples.

On 4 August 2026, Udhayanidhi Stalin was arrested from his residence in Neelankarai for his remarks while talking about the Kaveri River water dispute, he stated that whether or not the Kaveri water issue was resolved, water will go where it's needed. Few people found it to be a double meaning pun. Following this incident, a petition seeking anticipatory bail was filed before the Madras High Court. He was released the same day.

Personal life Udhayanidhi married Kiruthiga in 2002. They have a son named Inban and a daughter named Tanmaya. Kiruthiga, who heads the lifestyle magazine Inbox 1305, has also directed a few films. Inban was a football player, and became the chief executive of Red Giant Movies in 2025. Udhayanidhi describes himself as an atheist.

Filmography As actor +Film credits as actor Year Title Role Notes 2009 Aadhavan Servant Guest appearance 2012 Oru Kal Oru Kannadi Saravanan SIIMA Award for Best Male Debutant Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – South Norway Tamil Film Festival Award for Best Newcomer Actor 2013 Vanakkam Chennai Prospective tenant Guest appearance 2014 Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal Kathirvelan 2015 Nannbenda Sathya 2016 Gethu Sethu Manithan Sakthivel 2017 Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen Saravanan Podhuvaga Emmanasu Thangam Ganesh Ippadai Vellum Madhusoodhanan 2018 Nimir Selvam 2019 Kanne Kalaimaane Kamala Kannan 2020 Psycho Gautham 2022 Nenjuku Needhi S. Vijayaraghavan Kalaga Thalaivan Thirumaaran 2023 Kannai Nambathey Arun Maamannan Athiveeran (Veera) Last film

As producer + Film credits as producer Year Title 2008 Kuruvi 2009 Aadhavan 2010 Manmadan Ambu 2011 7 Aum Arivu 2012 Neerparavai 2013 Vanakkam Chennai 2014 Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal 2015 Nannbenda 2016 Gethu Manithan 2017 Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen 2019 Kanne Kalaimaane 2022 Kalaga Thalaivan 2023 Maamannan 2024 Indian 2 2025 Kadhalikka Neramillai

As distributor

Elections contested and positions held Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections ElectionAssemblyConstituencyPolitical partyResultVote percentageOppositionCandidatePolitical partyVote percentage202116thChepauk-ThiruvallikeniDravida Munnetra Kazhagamrowspan=2 67.89%A. V. A. KassaliPattali Makkal Katchi17.42%202617th 44.76 Selvam D Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam 39.68

Positions in Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly