Chennai: A controversy has erupted over Tamil superstar Vijay's alleged non-payment of dues to his car insurance company, an issue which surface shortly after the actor arrived to vote at the polling booth in Neelangarai to vote at the urban local body elections in Tamil Nadu on Saturday, February 19.
The license plate of the red Maruti car which the actor drove was noted and details of the car registration certificate went viral after it was traced by its number. The certificate indicated that Vijay's car insurance is expired, and it has raised allegations against the actor.
The issue was compounded by the Regional Transport Office (RTO) which had allegedly shown unpaid challans against the actor for not renewing his car insurance.
As criticism against the actor grew, Vijay's PR manager Riaz K Ahmed took to social media to clear up the 'misunderstanding' by posting the his insurance statement.
"For the past few days, a news stating that Thalapathy Vijay's car insurance is still due, has been doing the rounds on social media. Here is a copy of the insurance, in which it is clearly stated that the insurance is valid till May 28, 2022!" Ahmed's tweet reads.
The actor had apologised for causing inconvenience to the voters as his appearance generated a stir at the polling booth.
Vijay had earlier filed a case in the Madras High Court for tax exemption for his luxury car - Rolls Royce - which he imported. But the actor was fined ₹1 lakh for seeking tax exemption by the court. Vijay later went for an appeal and got a stay order. Later, the court ordered the actor to pay the entry tax for his Rolls Royce car following which Vijay reportedly paid a tax amount of ₹40 lakh in total.
Vijay is gearing up for his next film 'Beast', which is to be released in theatres on April 14. The big budget film is directed by Nelson Dilipkumar and features Pooja Hegde, Selvaraghavan, Shine Tom Chacko and Yogi Babu in pivotal roles. The film has already attracted fans and public attention through the first song "Arabic Kuthu" which was released in Valentine's Day.