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Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar is an Indian actor and playback singer who works in Tamil cinema. He has acted in over 65 films over 3 decades and is one of the most commercially successful actors in Tamil cinema, with some of his films among the highest-grossing. He made his debut as a child actor in 1984 and had his first lead role in 1992. Some of his most successful films include Ghilli (2003), Thirupaachi (2005), Pokkiri (2007), and more recent films like Thuppakki (2012), Kaththi (2014), and Sarkar (2018).

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Notes 1

Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar is an Indian actor and playback singer who works in Tamil cinema. He has acted in over 65 films over 3 decades and is one of the most commercially successful actors in Tamil cinema, with some of his films among the highest-grossing. He made his debut as a child actor in 1984 and had his first lead role in 1992. Some of his most successful films include Ghilli (2003), Thirupaachi (2005), Pokkiri (2007), and more recent films like Thuppakki (2012), Kaththi (2014), and Sarkar (2018).

Uploaded by

gregcourses7
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar (born 22 June 1974), known professionally as Vijay, is

an Indian actor and playback singer who works in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning
in just over 3 decades, Vijay has acted in over 65 films and is one of the most
commercially successful actors in Tamil cinema with multiple films amongst the
highest-grossing Tamil films of all time and is amongst the highest paid actors in
India.

Born in Madras to director S. A. Chandrasekhar, Vijay made his debut as a child


actor in the Tamil film Vetri (1984). After a view roles as a child actor in his
father’s films, he played his first lead role in the film Naalaiya Theerpu (1992)
at the age of 18. Vijay continued doing lead roles for the next few years with
mixed results, notable films amongst them included Poove Unakkaga, Love Today,
Kadhalukku Mariyadhai, Thulladha Manamum Thullum and Kushi. In 1998, he was awarded
Kalaimaamani by the Government of Tamil Nadu.

In 2003, he starred in Ghilli, which became the first Tamil film to gross over ₹500
million and with subsequent success of Thirupaachi and Pokkiri later, he
established himself as one of the leading and commercially successful actors in
Tamil cinema. Following a period of moderate success, Vijay acted in various
critically and commercially successful films starting in the late 2010s including
Thuppakki, Kaththi and Sarkar. He has won several awards as an actor.

Referred to as "Thalapathy" (transl. commander), Vijay has a significant fan


following. In February 2024, Vijay announced his retirement from films and his
entry into politics with the launch of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.

He was featured in Eastern Eye top celebrities in Asia, and he is the only Tamil
actor to feature among Bollywood actors in the list in 2023.[1]

Early life and family


Vijay was born as Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar on 22 June 1974 in Madras (now
Chennai), Tamil Nadu.[2][3] His father, S. A. Chandrasekhar, is a film director and
his mother, Shoba Chandrasekhar is a playback singer and vocalist.[4] His father is
of Christian descent and his mother is a Hindu.[5][6] Vijay had a sister, Vidhya,
who died when she was two years old.[7] Vijay did his schooling initially at
Fathima school, Kodambakkam and later at Balalok school, Virugambakkam.[8][9] He
pursued a bachelor degree in visual communication from Loyola College.[10]

Film career
Main article: Vijay filmography
1984–2003: Debut and transition to lead roles
At the age of 10, Vijay made his debut as a child actor in the Tamil film Vetri,
produced by P. S. Veerappa in 1984.[11] He then acted as a child actor in films
such as Kudumbam (1984), Vasantha Raagam (1986), Sattam Oru Vilayaattu (1987) and
Ithu Engal Neethi (1988). He also acted in a supporting role with Rajinikanth in
Naan Sigappu Manithan (1985), directed by his father.[12]

Vijay in 1998
Vijay played the lead role for the first time in Naalaiya Theerpu in 1992.[13]
Vijay then appeared in the films Senthoorapandi, Rasigan, Deva and Coimbatore
Mappillai, some of which were successful.[14][15] In 1996, Vijay acted in Poove
Unakkaga, directed by Vikraman, which according to him, gave him his initial break
and popularity.[16] In 1997, Vijay acted in Kaalamellam Kaathiruppen and Love
Today.[17][18]

Later, he starred in commercially successful films such as Nerrukku Ner, Kadhalukku


Mariyadhai, Ninaithen Vandhai, Priyamudan and Thulladha Manamum Thullum.[19][20] In
1999, he then acted in the films Endrendrum Kadhal, Nenjinile, and Minsara Kanna.
[21] In 2000, he acted in critically successful, Kannukkul Nilavu, which was his
25th film, alongside commercially successful romantic films, Kushi and
Priyamaanavale.[19] In 2001, he acted in hat-trick box office successes; Friends,
Badri and Shahjahan before starring in the action film Thamizhan alongside Priyanka
Chopra in 2002.[22] Later, he appeared in the romantic film Youth and the action
film Bagavathi in the same year.[23] Vijay began 2003 with Vaseegara and Pudhiya
Geethai.[24]

2003–11: Commercial success and stardom


In 2003, following the action-romance film Thirumalai, Vijay starred in Ghilli,
directed by S. Dharani with Trisha and Prakash Raj.[25] The movie became a
commercial success and became the first Tamil film to gross over ₹500 million at
the domestic box office and also broke the record for the most people watching the
movie within the first week of its release, previously held by M. G. Ramachandran's
Adimai Penn (1969).[26][27][28] Following the same, he acted in Madhurey and
Thirupaachi in 2005.[29] Later, he starred in the commercially successful films
Sachein, Sivakasi and Pokkiri.[29] Pokkiri became one of the highest-grossing films
of his career at the time.[30]

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