Arun Vijay | |
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![]() Vijay at Vaa Press Meet in 2012 | |
Born | Arun Kumar 19 November 1977 Madras, Tamil Nadu, India |
Alma mater | Loyola College, Chennai |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1995–present |
Spouse | Aarathi (m. 2006) |
Children | 2 |
Parents |
|
Relatives | Kavitha Vijayakumar (sister) Anitha Vijayakumar (sister) Preetha Vijayakumar (half-sister) Sridevi Vijaykumar (half-sister) Vanitha Vijayakumar (half-sister) |
Arun Vijay (born 19 November 1977), formerly known as Arun Kumar, is an Indian actor who works primarily in Tamil cinema. He also starred in a few films in Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. [1]
Born as Arun Kumar and being the only son of veteran actor Vijayakumar, he debuted in Sundar C's Murai Mappillai (1995). [2] He received early success in Thulli Thirintha Kaalam (1998) and Pandavar Bhoomi (2001). [3]
After a string of failures, he changed his name to Arun Vijay [4] and achieved breakthrough success and recognition for playing lead roles in Malai Malai (2009), Maanja Velu (2010), Thadaiyara Thaakka (2012), Kuttram 23 (2017), Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (2018), Thadam (2019), Mafia: Chapter 1 (2020) and Yaanai (2022). [5] He is noted for his villainous roles in Yennai Arindhaal (2015), Bruce Lee: The Fighter (2015) and Chakravyuha (2016).
He is a recipient of many awards, including a Norway Tamil Film Festival Award, two Filmfare South Awards, a Edison Award and three SIIMA Awards.
Arun Vijay was born as the only son to actor Vijayakumar and his first wife Muthukannu. He studied at Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Egmore. After completing his schooling, he joined Loyola college for his higher studies.
His two elder sisters Kavitha and Anitha, had debuted in the 1995 film, Coolie . [6]
Vijay had a desire to act since childhood. He developed a strong interest by watching his father during film shoots. Vijay started getting film offers when he was in tenth grade but his father wanted him to complete his schooling before acting in films. [7]
Vijay signed on for an A. R. Rahman musical Love Story to be his acting debut, but the delay of that project meant that he accepted Anbalaya Films' offer of Sundar C's Murai Mappillai (1995). [2] He was 18 years old when he signed to act in Murai Mapillai. This made him one of the youngest actors to debut as a hero in the Tamil film industry.
In 1996, Vijay's second film, Priyam , was released. Vijay then signed for two films Kathirunda Kadhal (1997) and Ganga Gowri (1997). [8] [9]
In 1998, Vijay played the lead role in director Balasekaran's film Thulli Thirintha Kaalam . It was produced by Kavithalayaa Productions, a company owned by K.Balachander. The film was a commercial success and was later remade in Telugu with a different cast. [10]
In 2000, Vijay featured in two films, Kannaal Pesavaa and Anbudan . [11] [12] His career hit a nadir when Buddhan, a project which he had physically transformed for, was stalled and dropped in 2000. [13]
In 2001, he played a civil engineer in Pandavar Bhoomi , directed by Cheran. This was the first movie in which Vijay and his father Vijayakumar acted together. This movie won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film (Second Prize) in 2001. [14]
Vijay's next film was Mutham (2002). It was initially titled Muthamidalamma, but was changed after the censor screening. It was directed by S.A. Chandrasekhar and was the first film to be shot using digital cinematography in Tamil cinema. [15] [16] Vijay had a special appearance in Iyarkai (2003), which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. [17]
He acted in director Ramesh Selvan's Jananam (2004). The film's actress Priyanka Trivedi could not fulfill her scheduled commitments in the film, as she got married in 2003. [18] [19] The film failed to make a mark, as the screenplay was not good and the story was incomplete. [20] Critics appreciated Arun Vijay's acting in the movie. [21] In 2006, he has given a matured performance in Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu . [22] His next projects was Thavam (2007) and Vedha (2008). [23] [24] Thavam was the first film to credit Arun Kumar under his new name Arun Vijay.
The first venture, Malai Malai (2009), directed by A. Venkatesh, became a commercial success. The next, Maanja Velu (2010), by the same team, was also a success. Arun Vijay appeared in Magizh Thirumeni's action-thriller Thadaiyara Thaakka (2012), marking a move away from his previous two Masala films. [25] [26]
He starred in Yennai Arindhaal (2015) with actor Ajith Kumar. This was his first film with director Gautham Vasudev Menon. Vijay played the role of Victor, an antagonist. [27]
On September 1, 2015, Vijay launched his own production company called In Cinemas Entertainment (ICE). [28] He said that he launched the company to identify and provide an opportunity to ambitious and talented youngsters. [29]
The same year, he debuted in Telugu in the film Bruce Lee - The Fighter (2015) as the lead antagonist. He also made his Kannada debut as the lead antagonist in the movie Chakravyuha in 2016. [30] [31] His next, Kuttram 23 (2017), returning to lead roles, was a success at the box office. [32] His next movie was Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (2018), which was directed by Mani Ratnam with an ensemble cast.
In 2019, Vijay acted in Thadam , an action crime thriller. He played his first double role in this film. This was also the second film in which he and Magizh Thirumeni worked together, after Thadaiyara Thaakka. [33] The film was loosely based on various real-life crimes where the suspects are identical twins. Thadam's biggest strength was Vijay's convincing performance as Kavin and Ezhil. [34] In the action thriller film Saaho , Prabhas was the hero while Vijay played a supporting role. [35] In 2020, he appeared in action crime thriller Mafia: Chapter 1 that was directed by Karthick Naren. In the film, Arun Vijay played a narcotics police officer on a mission to hunt down a drug mafia kingpin. [36]
In 2022, he appeared in the Amazon Prime Video film Oh My Dog. [37] The cast included Vijay, his father Vijayakumar, and his son Arnav Vijay. The next was Yaanai an action drama film written and directed by Hari. [38] The next was released a Web Series Tamil Rockerz [39] and later Sinam directed by G. N. R. Kumaravelan, it is made as an investigative whodunit thriller in which Arun Vijay plays a cop. He delivers a stunning performance once again. The role of an angry cop is tailor-made for an actor with his physique and attitude. [40]
In 2006, Vijay married Aarathi, daughter of film producer Dr. N. S. Mohan [41] [42] with whom he has a daughter, Purvi and a son, Arnav Vijay. In 2010, Arun Vijay's eldest sister Kavitha's daughter Hasini married N. S. Mohan's son Hemanth, who is a co-producer of Feather Touch Entertainments and also acted alongside Arun Vijay in Malai Malai . [6] [43] Arun Vijay's Hometown is Pattukkottai in Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu.
All films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.
Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | Murai Mappillai | Raja | Debut film | [44] |
1996 | Priyam | Arimath | [45] | |
1997 | Kathirunda Kadhal | Mayilsamy | [46] | |
Ganga Gowri | Shiva | [47] | ||
1998 | Thulli Thirintha Kalam | Ashok | [48] | |
2000 | Kannaal Pesavaa | Arun | [49] | |
Anbudan | Sathya | [50] | ||
2001 | Pandavar Bhoomi | Tamizharasan | [51] | |
2002 | Mutham | Bharath | [52] | |
2003 | Iyarkai | Mukundan | Cameo appearance | [53] |
2004 | Jananam | Surya | [54] | |
2006 | Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu | Prem | [55] | |
2007 | Thavam | Subramaniam | [56] | |
2008 | Vedha | Vijay | [57] | |
2009 | Malai Malai | Vetrivel | [58] | |
2010 | Thunichal | Shiva | [59] | |
Maanja Velu | Velu | [60] | ||
2012 | Thadaiyara Thaakka | Selva | Also singer for "Poondamalli Thaan" | [61] |
2015 | Yennai Arindhaal | Victor Manoharan | [62] | |
Bruce Lee – The Fighter | Deepak Raj | Telugu film | [63] | |
2016 | Chakravyuha | Omkaar | Kannada film | [64] |
2017 | Kuttram 23 | ACP Vetrimaaran | [65] | |
2018 | Chekka Chivantha Vaanam | Thyagarajan "Thyagu" Senapathi | [66] | |
2019 | Thadam | Ezhil, Kavin | Dual role | [67] |
Saaho | Vishwank Roy / Iqbal | Telugu / Hindi film | [68] | |
2020 | Mafia: Chapter 1 | Aryan, Dileep "Dexter" | [69] | |
2022 | Oh My Dog | Shankar | [37] | |
Yaanai | Ravichandran | [38] | ||
Sinam | Inspector Paari Venkat | Also playback singer | [70] | |
2024 | Mission: Chapter 1 | Gunasekhar aka Guna | [71] | |
Vanangaan | TBA | Completed | [72] | |
Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Tamil Rockerz | Rudhra IPS | SonyLIV | [73] |
Year | Title | Role | Dub-over voice for whom | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Aladdin | Hakim | Numan Acar | [74] |
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Totals [lower-alpha 1] | ||||||||
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Wins | 5 | |||||||
Nominations | 5 | |||||||
Note
|
Year | Award | Category | Film | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Filmfare Awards South | Best Supporting Actor – Tamil | Yennai Arindhaal | Nominated | |
Edison Awards | Best Villain | Won | |||
Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards | Best Villain | Won | |||
South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Actor in a Negative Role | Won | |||
2017 | Chakravyuha | Nominated |
Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu also known by the initialism AIBI, is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by cinematographer-turned-director S.D. Vijay Milton. It stars Bharath and Mallika Kapoor with Arun Vijay, Deepu, Renuka and M. S. Baskar in vital supporting roles. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja. The film — inspired by the 1997 Hollywood film Addicted to Love, starring Matthew Broderick and Meg Ryan — was released on 14 April 2006. Upon release, the film was dubbed into Telugu and released as Maha Andamga Vunnavani Bhayam. The story tells a love relationship between two playful youngsters and their sacrifices.
Panchaksharam Rangasamy Pillai, known professionally as Vijayakumar, is an Indian actor who works in Tamil cinema. He started his film career in the Tamil film Sri Valli (1961) as a child actor and started playing a lead role from the movie Aval Oru Thodar Kathai (1974) then he worked in Madhura Geetham (1977) and Azhage Unnai Aarathikkiren (1979). He has also acted in Telugu and Malayalam movies. He also worked in television serials like Thangam, Vamsam, Talambralu, Nandini and Rasaathi. His son is actor Arun Vijay.
Vedhika Kumar is an Indian actress and model who has established a career in the Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films.
Thavam (transl. Penance) is a 2007 Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Sakthi Paramesh and produced by Arjun, who also has a cameo appearance in the film. A remake of the Telugu film Itlu Sravani Subramanyam, it stars Arun Vijay and Vandana Gupta while Vadivelu, Janagaraj, and Kalairani play supporting roles. The music was composed by D. Imman. The film released on 5 October 2007. The dialogue Aahan spoken by Vadivelu in this film is famous.
Jananam (transl. Birth) is a 2004 Tamil language action drama film directed by Ramesh Selvan. The film stars Arun Vijay and Priyanka Trivedi in lead roles, while Ashish Vidyarthi, Raghuvaran, Nassar, Vadivelu, and Charle play supporting roles. The music was composed by Bharadwaj. The film was launched in 2002, but got delayed and was released in 2004.
Malai Malai is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language masala film written and directed by A. Venkatesh. The film stars Arun Vijay, Prabhu, Vedhika, and Kasthuri in lead roles, while Prakash Raj, Santhanam, Ganja Karuppu, Vijayakumar, and S. N. Lakshmi play supporting roles. The music was composed by Mani Sharma with editing by V. T. Vijayan. The film released on 31 July 2009 and turned out to be a surprise hit at the box office. This film ran for 100 days in theaters.
Maanja Velu is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language masala film directed by A. Venkatesh. It stars Arun Vijay, Karthik, Prabhu and Dhansika, with Vijayakumar and Riyaz Khan playing supporting roles and Santhanam and Ganja Karuppu providing comical relief.
Ramana is an Indian actor and producer who has appeared in Tamil and Telugu films in leading and supporting roles. He is the son of Tamil actor Vijay Babu who is known for the role of Rajinikanth's younger brother in Padikkadavan. He is the wicket keeper for the team Chennai Rhinos in Celebrity Cricket League. He was credited as Srinath in Telugu films until 2010.
Thadaiyara Thaakka is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Magizh Thirumeni and produced under Feather Touch Entertainment. It stars Arun Vijay, Mamta Mohandas and Rakul Preet Singh. The title is derived from a devotional song titled Kanda Shasti Kavasam.
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Yennai Arindhaal is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and produced by A. M. Rathnam. The film stars Ajith Kumar, Anushka Shetty, Trisha Krishnan and Arun Vijay in the lead roles, while Anikha, Parvathy Nair, Vivek, Ashish Vidyarthi, Suman and Avinash Yelandur appear in supporting roles. It is also the final film of Menon's police trilogy after Kaakha Kaakha and Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu. The film revolves around a former police officer's battle to protect his step-daughter from his arch-enemy.
Anl Arasu is an Indian fight master/action choreographer, who works in the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi film industries. He started his career as an extra fighter and assistant to stunt masters including Rambo Rajkumar, Judo. K. K. Rathnam, Vikram Dharma, Jaguar Thangam, Kanal Kannan, Stun Siva and Peter Hein. His work has received critical acclaim.
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Abdul Majith is an Indian film director, producer screenwriter who has worked on Tamil films. He made his directorial debut with the 2002 social drama film, Thamizhan starring Vijay and Priyanka Chopra. He has since worked on lower budget ventures.
Kuttram 23 is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Arivazhagan. Themed on medical crimes, the film stars Arun Vijay and Mahima Nambiar, with Vamsi Krishna, Aravind Akash, Amit Bhargav, Abhinaya, and Thambi Ramaiah, amongst others, in supporting roles. Produced by Inder Kumar along with Arun Vijay, the soundtrack album and background score for the film were composed by Vishal Chandrasekhar. The film was released worldwide on 3 March 2017 and was a super hit at the box office.
Thadam is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language crime thriller film written and directed by Magizh Thirumeni. Produced by Inder Kumar, the film stars Arun Vijay in a double role along with Vidya Pradeep, Tanya Hope, and Smruthi Venkat. The music was composed by Arun Raj, with cinematography by Gopinath and editing by N. B. Srikanth. It marks the Tamil debut of Tanya and the film debut of Smruthi. In the film, police officers try to solve a murder case involving lookalike suspects arrested on the basis of a pictorial evidence.
Red is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language crime thriller film directed by Kishore Tirumala and produced by Sri Sravanthi Movies. It stars Ram Pothineni in a double role with Nivetha Pethuraj, Malvika Sharma and Amritha Aiyer. A remake of the Tamil film Thadam (2019), it follows a murder investigation involving a civil engineer and his lookalike as prime suspects.
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