30 years of Superstar Vijay: From child artist to Kollywood star Thalapathy Vijay
Superstar Vijay has completed 30 years in the entertainment industry. Here's looking back at his journey.
He came, he saw and he conquered. This is truly the story of Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar AKA Vijay who started his career in the Tamil film when he was just 10 years. He featured in a Vijayakanth film directed by his father, SA Chandrasekhar. Vijay celebrates 30 years in cinema this December. His career has seen both highs and lows. The Varisu star got his first lead role in 1992 at the age of 18 in Naalaiya Theerpu which was directed and produced by his father. And the rest, as they say, is history!
A LOOK BACK AT HIS COLLEGE DAYS
When Vijay was in Loyola college doing his graduation in Visual Communication, he had actor Suriya as his senior. The two were friends even at that time and continue to share a great bond.
A little tidbit you may not know is that during his college dance, Vijay was an ardent fan of Michael Jackson and mastered all the moves that MJ did in his songs. The Beast star’s craze and passion for dance is well-known and in fact, today he is one of the best dancers in the Tamil film industry. It was when he was in college that he asked his dad to launch him and the first few films in his career were thanks to his father. It was the 1996 film Poove Unakkaga, directed by Vikraman, that made Vijay a force to reckon with as it ran for 250 days in theatres.
VIJAY, THE KOLLYWOOD STAR
Today, the Khushi star is reportedly commanding a salary of nearly Rs 100 crore per film and has a market of over Rs 300 crore. However, his movie career has not always been a bed of roses. The actor has seen highs and lows and his fans have stood by him through it all. All directors in Tamil cinema want to work with Vijay and there is no dearth of scripts being written for him. However, he has been choosy since certain films he did, which were experimental in nature and moved away from the usual formula - like Puli and Bairavaa, failed at the box office.
He has honed his image carefully through his films, consciously working to have a clean image onscreen. He loves playing the romantic hero, the hero who saves the girl, and the hero who does good for society. If in Ghilli and Pokiri he was saving young women, in Mersal and Master he is a do-gooder. Even if he is playing a character with grey shades, Vijay ensures the character ends up doing good for the people.
Many say he is following in the steps of actor-turned-Chief Minister MG Ramachandran by playing a messiah of the masses and sending out messages of strong social values. The big question is whether he is preparing for politics and laying the groundwork for this through his films.
DIVING INTO POLITICS?
With 30 years of cinema behind him, Thalapathy Vijay, as he is called by fans, has developed a huge fan base across Tamil Nadu. His fan club, Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, is helmed by Bussy Anand, a former MLA from Pondicherry. Every film release of his is a festival for them. For a star who shies away from the media, he doesn’t hesitate to meet his fans and thank them for their love. For many years now, there has been a buzz that Vijay wants to enter politics and has his eyes set on becoming the future Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
As of now his fan clubs carry out numerous social welfare activities round the year to keep the Vijay flag flying high. Will Vijay enter politics and if yes, when? We need to wait and watch.
As for now, fans and the audience are looking forward to Varisu which releases for Pongal in January 2023 and given the fantastic line-up of films Vijay has in his kitty, it looks like he is going to soar even higher in his career!
WHISTLE-WORTHY VIJAY DIALOGUES
Ghilli - All Arealayum Aiyaa Ghilli Da (I’m the master in all the places)
Master – Ena pudichavan kodi peru irukkan da veliyai (There are millions outside who love me)
Thalaiva - Nee Vera Naadu Naan Vera Naadu Illa Daa Ellarum Ore Naadu, India (You and I are not from different countries; we’re from the same country, India)
Pokkiri - Oru vaati mudivu pannitena en pecha nanae kekamaten (Once I make a decision, I don’t listen to even myself)
Thuppaki – I’m waiting!