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DON'T MISS: Thalapathy Vijay's tribute to Ajith, Shah Rukh Khan and Rajinikanth in The GOAT
Thalapathy Vijay starrer The GOAT is filled with various pop-culture references and homages. Here’s a complete look at them!
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the film.
Thalapathy Vijay starrer The Greatest Of All Time, aka The GOAT, is finally in theaters after much-awaiting. The movie, directed by Venkat Prabhu, is a spy action flick that is a complete commercial flick interlaced with elements of sci-fi.
The film contains various elements of famous pop-culture references and throwbacks to old songs and dialogues. Here are some of them we spotted in Thalapathy Vijay’s The GOAT.
Popular references from Thalapathy Vijay’s The GOAT
1. Shah Rukh Khan’s signature pose
In an engaging scene from the Thalapathy Vijay starrer, the actor in his young character as Jeevan (aka Sanjay) poses with his arms flailing to both sides. The scene takes place when he describes being the center of affection.
Who is a better option to personify love and affection than the king of romance, Shah Rukh Khan? Taking notes from his pose, Vijay struts the same mannerism in his own peppy manner.
2. Rajinikanth’s Padiayappa reference and song Kaathalin Deepam Ondru
The GOAT has used various surprise elements in the movie, one of them being the visuals from an IPL match between CSK and MI. In a noteworthy situation, MS Dhoni is shown stepping down the stairs when the famous background score from Rajinikanth's starrer Padaiyappa gets placed.
Moreover, the film has also reused the song, Kaathalin Deepam Ondru, from Rajinikanth starrer Thambikku Entha Ooru, released back in 1984. The song is placed in the movie as a pop reference, highlighting a humorous scene.
3. The Dark Knight interrogation scene
In a crucial moment in Thalapathy Vijay starrer The Greatest Of All Time, an interrogation scene takes place with his character Jeevan being questioned. The visual reference and the cinematography remind us of the famous scene from The Dark Knight featuring Christian Bale’s Batman and Heath Ledger’s Joker.
4. Matta song ft. Trisha Krishnan
One of the most eye-catching and exciting guest appearances in the film was Trisha Krishnan donning a yellow saree and shaking her legs with Thalapathy Vijay. In the song Matta, a “kuthu” style dance number, the actress manages to capture everyone’s attention in seconds.
In addition to her appearance, both actors shared the screen by re-enacting their dance steps from Ghilli, Thirupachi, to Kuruvi. Moreover, poses from films like Kaththi and Leo were also used in the song.
5. Mission Impossible theme with a Tom Cruise jump
Yet another homage to a Hollywood flick in Thalapathy Vijay’s The GOAT would be a scene inside a party where the hero and team try to hack into a critical server.
As the scene reaches a conclusion, Vijay, playing Gandhi, is surrounded by various people, for which he punches out his way. Soon enough, he starts whistling the iconic Mission Impossible theme song and jumps out of a skyscraper using a parachute, similar to Tom Cruise.
6. Mahesh Babu’s Okkadu and Thalapathy Vijay’s Ghilli
Another stellar moment in the movie was when Yogi Babu’s character Diamond Babu makes a callback to Mahesh Babu’s Okkadu. Interestingly, the actor also refers to Vijay as “You may be a Ghilli at all places” making a callback to the superstar’s yesteryear character.
Notably, the film makes quite some references to the film Ghilli, from the Lord Muruga prayer song chanted by Vijay to recreating Prakash Raj’s dialogue.
In addition to the Ghilli references, the makers also used the track Arabic Kuthu from the movie Beast, with Vijay even strutting his hook step.
7. Political references
As many are already aware, Thalapathy Vijay has entered politics and is set to contest the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections for 2026. The makers have given his numberplate as “TN 07 CM 2026,” indicating his potential progress in politics.
Notably, the makers even used another number plate that read, “T 6812 VP.”
8. Ajith Kumar references
In the climax portion of the film, the makers make gentle use of Ajith Kumar’s Mankatha background score as Gandhi’s daughter refers to her favorite actor as “Thala” (a popular nickname for AK, meaning Head). Moreover, the makers also used a song by the actor from his film Attagasam.
9. Captain Vijayakanth's AI cameo
As many may already know, the movie GOAT pays homage to the late actor, Captain Vijayakanth,, with AI's help. In the same scene, the makers also recreate an action sequence from his movie Captain Prabhakar and a partial dialogue with his voice.
These are some of the references thated in the film that serve, as a nod to other actors and plays as a hplay to some iconic moments in cinema.
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