Why Vijay-Trisha remain Tamil Cinema's most loved on-screen couple in recent years

Long before the cryptic Instagram captions, the mirror selfies, and the whispers that followed Trisha's appearance at Vijay's oath-taking ceremony as Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister, there was a kabaddi player named Velu and a girl named Dhanalakshmi running for her life in Madurai. That was 2004. That was Ghilli. And that, really, is where this story begins.

Tamil cinema has had many beloved pairs. But few have had the kind of recurring, almost fated quality that Vijay and Trisha's on-screen partnership carries. Five collaborations across two decades, a 15-year gap that nobody ever fully explained, a reunion and a cameo that sent social media into a frenzy — theirs is a filmography that doubles up as a timeline of contemporary Tamil cinema itself.

Ghilli (2004): Where it all began

Ghilli, directed by Dharani, was released in 2004, ran for more than 200 days at the Tamil Nadu box office, and emerged as the highest-grossing Tamil film of that year. It was the Tamil remake of the Telugu film, Okkadu. Vijay played Saravanavelu, a state-level kabaddi player — carefree, funny, unexpectedly heroic. Trisha played Dhanalakshmi, a girl desperate to escape a gangster's obsession.

What could have been a routine mass entertainer became something more, largely because the chemistry the two stars shared felt effortless. Songs like Appadi Podu became cult favourites and continue to enjoy popularity. Ghilli did not just make them a pair. It made them a hit pair that no one could take their eyes off.

When Ghilli was re-released in 2024, it ended up shattering records and fans couldn't get enough of the iconic pairing.

Thirupaachi (2005) and Aathi (2006): Riding the wave

The success of Ghilli was followed quickly by Thirupaachi in 2005, directed by Perarasu. The film went on to become a big blockbuster, further cementing Vijay's box office power. He played Sivagiri, a protective brother navigating a revenge plot, with Trisha as his love interest — a quieter role than Ghilli, but one that showed she could hold her own even in a film built around it's leading man. Who could forget the cute dance performances to Kattu Kattu and Appan Panna Thappula songs in the film, which has great replay value even today?

Aathi followed in 2006, directed by Ramana. The film received negative reviews and became a commercial failure. Yet, it was talked about among Vijay's fans for the memorable chemistry shared between the two. Even as the film ended up being a damp squib, Vijay and Trisha's chemistry was unmissable.

Kuruvi (2008): The last chapter, for a while

Kuruvi, directed by Dharani, revolves around a car racer named Vetrivel who discovers that his father might still be alive and held captive. It was their fourth film together in four years and while it received mixed reviews from critics, it marked the end of a prolific phase — though nobody quite knew it at the time.

This was yet another film that received a lot of brickbats from audiences, but the songs and their chemistry became a huge hit.

The years apart: A silence nobody explained

After Kuruvi, something shifted. Vijay and Trisha abruptly stopped working together, fuelling gossip that the closeness they developed on the sets of Ghilli had turned into something more. Rumours did the rounds that Vijay's family had asked him to keep his distance from Trisha after Kuruvi. The professional distance was real and it lasted 15 years. Neither addressed it publicly. The industry moved on, but fans did not quite let go.

Leo (2023): The reunion Tamil cinema was waiting for

When Lokesh Kanagaraj cast Vijay and Trisha together in Leo, it felt like a deliberate nod to a partnership that Tamil cinema had missed. The film topped Rs 600 crore worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time. Trisha played Sathyalakshmi, Vijay's wife — a role that required emotional weight rather than spectacle — and she delivered. The reunion was not just fan service. It was a reminder that the chemistry had only deepened with time.

And then, away from the cameras, things got interesting. After the Leo shoot, Vijay and Trisha were seen taking a stroll around Oslo, Norway, and the pictures broke the internet, sparking fresh speculation about the nature of their relationship. Soon after, photos of the two being spotted together at Heathrow Airport, London, also circulated widely. Reportedly, the two went on several overseas trips.

Around the same time, Trisha shared a birthday post for Vijay with a photo of him playing with her dog, Izzy, calling him "the bestest". This was followed by a mirror selfie that she posted wishing him a happy birthday. Each post was dissected online with the kind of attention usually reserved for official announcements.

In 2024, the two were also seen flying together to Keerthy Suresh and Antony Thattil's wedding in Goa, with viral photos and a reported passenger list suggesting they travelled together along with Vijay's manager.

GOAT (2024): Full circle with Appadi Podu

And then came the moment the internet could not stop talking about. In The Greatest of All Time aka GOAT, directed by Venkat Prabhu, Trisha made a cameo in the song Matta, with choreographer VJ Shekar paying homage to the Vijay-Trisha pair by recreating the famous Appadi Podu hook step from Ghilli. It was Vijay's penultimate film and Trisha's appearance made it extra special.

Trisha appeared in a yellow saree alongside Vijay, and the Matta song quickly took over social media. Twenty years after their first film together, the same pair, the same energy — Tamil cinema loved every second of it.

And then, in early 2026, the rumours found a new context. Vijay's wife, Sankgeetha Sornalingam, had filed for divorce at the Chengalpattu family court seeking to end 27 years of marriage. In the petition, she alleged that Vijay's extramarital affair with a female actor was one of the main reasons for the split, though no names were officially mentioned.

Days after the divorce reports emerged, Vijay made a joint appearance with Trisha at producer Kalpathi S Suresh's son's wedding reception in Chennai. The iconic duo turned heads in coordinated traditional attire, and their appearance sparked intense debate online, coming just a week after reports of Sankgeetha filing for divorce went viral. So far, they have been tight-lipped about their relationship.

Six films. Two decades. A silence that lasted 15 years and a reunion that felt inevitable. Whatever the rumours say, whatever the Instagram captions mean, the screen has always told its own story about Vijay and Trisha. And that story, by any measure, is one of Tamil cinema's most enduring pairs.