Thalapathy Vijay’s The GOAT Pays Homage To Rajinikanth, SRK And Tom Cruise

Thalapathy Vijay announced his retirement in February 2024, disappointing millions of fans. His upcoming movie, tentatively titled Thalapathy 69, will reportedly be his last one. The GOAT, released on September 5 in theatres, is the second last one in his decades-old acting career. The first-day reaction to the film was unimaginable, and the box office records revealed that it has already amassed Rs 43 crore domestically, reported Sacnilk.

As per several X users and first-day viewers, the spy action film, directed by Venkat Prabhu, began with a much more engaging first half. However, the second half became somehow predictable, and in the end, the film again gained momentum. The film’s climax stole the show, giving the audience a sense of relief.

So, without much ado, let’s look at the list of popular references from previous iconic films and moments in Thalapathy Vijay’s The GOAT. With them, the actor tried his best to pay homage to some legendary actors and moments in the world of cinema.

De-aging of Thalapathy Vijay

The film brings back the actor’s young and super-energetic form from his earlier cinemas. The commercial cinema, its sci-fi elements and the actor’s dual role make it a complete power-pack movie.

Thalapathy Vijay’s political references in The GOAT

The latest film’s makers used a different version of the actor’s number plate, “TN 07 CM 2026," in the movie as “T 6812 VP." For the context, the actor is set to contest the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections for 2026.

MS Dhoni’s glimpse, along with Rajinikanth’s song

In one scene of the film, visuals from an IPL match between CSK and MI were used in The GOAT. MS Dhoni, is shown stepping down the stairs when a famous song from Rajinikanth’s film Padaiyappa is played. Another song, Kaathalin Deepam Ondru, from Rajinikanth’s film Thambikku Entha Ooru, was also used during a humourous scene.

Thalapathy Vijay enacts Tom Cruise’s action from Mission Impossible

Thalapathy Vijay’s The GOAT also had a Hollywood flick. In a critical scene, Vijay, playing the role of Gandhi, was heard whistling the iconic Mission Impossible theme song. Following which, he jumps out of a skyscraper, just like Tom Cruise in the Hollywood superhit film.

Thalapathy Vijay’s Ghilli and Mahesh Babu’s Okkadu

There was another stellar moment in the film when Vijay was referred as “You may be a Ghilli at all places" when a character calls Mahesh Babu’s character from the 2003 released film Okkadu. This referred to the superstar’s titular character from the 2004 film Ghilli. There are many other references to Vijay’s 2004 film in the latest one.

Hommage to Captain Vijayakanth

Vijay’s The GOAT pays homage to Captain Vijayakanth (the actor Vijayakanth was named Captain following his 100th film Captain Prabhakaran released in1991) with the help of AI.

Ajith Kumar’s Mankatha

In the explosive climax, the filmmakers used Ajith Kumar’s Mankatha song and another one by the actor from his 2004 released film Attagasam.

Shah Rukh Khan’s signature pose

Who doesn’t love to enact the romance king, Shah Rukh Khan’s signature pose? Well, Vijay, too, in his younger version, poses with his arms on both sides when showing off his love and affection.

Christopher Nolan’s directorial The Dark Knight’s interrogation scene

In The GOAT, the filmmakers have used yet another reference from a Hollywood film. It showed Christopher Nolan’s directorial The Dark Knight’s interrogation scene.

Thalapathy Vijay grooves with Trisha Krishnan in the Matta song

In one of the songs from The GOAT, Matta, Thalapathy Vijay and Trisha Krishnan recreated the dance steps from their old films Ghilli, Thirupachi, to Kuruvi. Moreover, they made some similar poses from films like Kaththi and Leo in the same song.

Thalapathy Vijay’s film, which pays homage to iconic moments in Indian cinema, is a must-watch for the upcoming weekend.