Arun Vijay

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Arun Vijay
Actor Arun Vijay at Vaa Press Meet.jpg
Vijay at Vaa Press Meet in 2012
Born
Arun Kumar

(1977-11-19) 19 November 1977 (age 47)
Alma mater Loyola College, Chennai
Occupation Actor
Years active1995–present
Spouse
Aarathi
(m. 2006)
Children2
Parents
RelativesKavitha 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]

Contents

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).

Early life

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.

Career

1995-2001

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. [6]

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 was seen for two films Kathirunda Kadhal (1997) and Ganga Gowri (1997).

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.

In 2000, Vijay featured in two films, Kannaal Pesavaa and Anbudan . [7] His career hit a nadir when Buddhan, a project which he had physically transformed for, was stalled and dropped in 2000. [8]

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. [9]

2002-2012

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. [10] Vijay had a special appearance in Iyarkai (2003), which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. [11]

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. [12] Critics appreciated Arun Vijay's acting in the movie. [13] In 2006, he has given a matured performance in Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu . [14] His next projects was Thavam (2007) and Vedha (2008).

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. [15]

2015-present

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. [16]

On September 1, 2015, Vijay launched his own production company called In Cinemas Entertainment (ICE). [17] He said that he launched the company to identify and provide an opportunity to ambitious and talented youngsters. [18]

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. [19] [20] His next, Kuttram 23 (2017), returning to lead roles, was a success at the box office. [21] 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. [22] 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. [23] In the action thriller film Saaho , Prabhas was the hero while Vijay played a supporting role. [24] 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. [25]

In 2022, he appeared in the Amazon Prime Video film Oh My Dog. 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. [26] The next was released a Web Series Tamil Rockerz [27] and later Sinam an investigative whodunit thriller in which Arun Vijay plays a cop. [28] In 2024, A. L. Vijay's Mission: Chapter 1 was released in theatres on January 12. Arun Vijay will be seen in Bala's Vanangaan (2025) next. [29]

Personal life

In 2006, Arun Vijay married Aarathi, daughter of film producer Dr. N. S. Mohan [30] 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 . [31] Arun Vijay's Hometown is Pattukkottai in Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu. [32]

Filmography

Films

All films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.

YearTitleRole(s)NotesRef(s)
1995 Murai Mappillai RajaDebut film [33]
1996 Priyam Arimath
1997 Kathirunda Kadhal Mayilsamy
Ganga Gowri Shiva
1998 Thulli Thirintha Kalam Ashok
2000 Kannaal Pesavaa Arun
Anbudan Sathya [34]
2001 Pandavar Bhoomi Tamizharasan [35]
2002 Mutham Bharath [36]
2003 Iyarkai MukundanCameo appearance [37]
2004 Jananam Surya [38]
2006 Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu Prem [39]
2007 Thavam Subramaniam [40]
2008 Vedha Vijay [41]
2009 Malai Malai Vetrivel [42]
2010 Thunichal Shiva
Maanja Velu Velu [43]
2012 Thadaiyara Thaakka SelvaAlso singer for "Poondamalli Thaan" [44]
2015Vaa DealVetrivelUnreleased Film [45]
Yennai Arindhaal Victor Manoharan [46]
Bruce Lee – The Fighter Deepak Raj Telugu film [47]
2016 Chakravyuha Omkaar Kannada film [48]
2017 Kuttram 23 ACP Vetrimaaran [49]
2018 Chekka Chivantha Vaanam Thyagarajan "Thyagu" Senapathi [50]
2019 Thadam Ezhil, Kavin25th Film; Dual role [51]
Saaho Vishwank Roy / IqbalTelugu / Hindi film [52]
2020 Mafia: Chapter 1 Aryan, Dileep "Dexter" [53]
2022 Oh My Dog Shankar [54]
Yaanai Ravichandran [26]
Sinam Inspector Paari VenkatAlso playback singer [55]
2024 Mission: Chapter 1 Gunasekhar aka Guna [56]
2025 Vanangaan Koti [57]
TBA Retta Thala TBAPost-production [58]
TBAAgni SiragugalTBADelayed [59]
TBABorrderTBADelayed [60]

Web series

YearTitleRoleNetworkNotesRef.
2022 Tamil Rockerz Rudhra IPS SonyLIV [61]

As dubbing artist

YearTitleRoleDub-over voice for whomNotesRef.
2019 Aladdin Hakim Numan Acar [62]

Awards and nominations

Arun Vijay awards and nominations
Totals [a]
Wins5
Nominations5
Note
  1. Certain award groups do not simply award one winner. They acknowledge several different recipients, have runners-up, and have third place. Since this is a specific recognition and is different from losing an award, runner-up mentions are considered wins in this award tally. For simplification and to avoid errors, each award in this list has been presumed to have had a prior nomination.
YearAwardCategoryFilmResultRef.
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

Related Research Articles

<i>Pandavar Bhoomi</i> 2001 film by Cheran

Pandavar Bhoomi is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language drama film, written and directed by Cheran. The film stars Arun Vijay, Shamitha and Rajkiran. While Vinu Chakravarthy and Mukesh Tiwari played the antagonists, Chandrasekhar, Ranjith, Manorama and Charle played supporting roles. The film, released on 21 September 2001, won the Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil (Cheran), and the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Second Best Film.

<i>Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu</i> 2006 Indian film

Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu also known by the initialism AIBI, is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written, directed and photographed by S. D. Vijay Milton, in his directorial debut. It stars Bharath and Mallika Kapoor with Arun Vijay, Deepu, Renuka and M. S. Bhaskar in vital supporting roles. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja. The film, inspired by the 1997 American film Addicted to Love, was released on 14 April 2006. The story tells a love relationship between two playful youngsters and their sacrifices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vijayakumar (Tamil actor)</span> Indian actor (born 1943)

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.

<i>Anbudan</i> 2000 Indian film

Anbudan is a 2000 Tamil language romantic drama film written and directed by T. Indrakumar and starring Arun Vijay and Rambha. It was released on 15 November 2000.

<i>Jananam</i> 2004 Indian film

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.

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<i>Malai Malai</i> 2009 Indian film

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 became a commercial success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snehan</span> Tamil poet and politician (born 1978)

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<i>Maanja Velu</i> 2010 Indian film

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.

<i>Thadaiyara Thaakka</i> 2012 Indian action thriller film

Thadaiyara Thaakka is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Magizh Thirumeni. The film stars Arun Vijay and Mamta Mohandas, with Rakul Preet Singh, Maha Gandhi and Vamsi Krishna in supporting roles. The title is derived from the devotional song Kanda Shasti Kavasam.

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Smruthi Venkat is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Tamil language films. Aside from a brief role in Indru Netru Naalai (2015), she made her acting debut with commercially success film Thadam which was released in 2019.

<i>Yaanai</i> 2022 film directed by Hari

Yaanai (transl. Elephant) is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by Hari and produced by Vedikkaranpatti S. Sakthivel under the banner of Drumsticks Productions. The film stars Arun Vijay, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Ramachandra Raju, Samuthirakani, Rajesh, Radhika Sarathkumar, Aishwariyaa Bhaskaran, Ammu Abhirami, Yogi Babu and Pugazh. The soundtrack and background score were composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Gopinath and Anthony.

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