Vijay Kumar | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | Government College of Engineering, Salem |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2013 - present |
Vijay Kumar is an Indian actor, writer, director, lyricist and producer. His directorial debut, Uriyadi , a political thriller set in the 1990s, was released in 2016 [1] [2] [3] and was lauded as one of the best political thrillers in Tamil cinema. [4] [5] His second project Uriyadi 2 released in April 2019.
Vijay was born in Chennai where he spent his schooling years. [6] He then studied Metallurgical Engineering at the Government College of Engineering, Salem.[ citation needed ] A software engineer by profession, he quit his career in reputed companies like IBM and Infosys to pursue his passion in cinema. [7]
Vijay was a Project Lead in IBM when he quit his job to pursue his passion in filmmaking. [8] He made a short film and applied to the first season of the Nalaya Iyakunar show in 2009. [7] [6] He was selected and subsequently screened two short films on the show. However, he left for personal reasons. [6]
He moved to the United States in 2010 and began writing the script for Uriyadi in early 2011. It was initially titled Vidiyum Varai VinmeengalaaVom (V4). He spent over a year on the script, sketching more than 2500 shots for its storyboard. [9]
Back in India, Vijay Kumar started his production house Souvenir Productions in April 2013.[ citation needed ] He conducted a three-month acting workshop for the actors as almost all of them were debutants. [9]
Uriyadi was released in theaters on 27 May 2016.[ citation needed ] Upon its release, The Hindu had a chat with Vijay and cited that Uriyadi is "A throwback to the 90s". [10] Uriyadi 2, produced by Suriya's 2D Entertainment, directed by and starring Vijay Kumar released on 5 April 2019.
Vijay Kumar's next film was Fight Club, a youth action-drama that went on floors on 16 July 2021. It stars Vijay Kumar and Monisha Menon in the lead and is produced by Reel Good Films. [11] The principal photography was completed on 3 July 2022. [12] Presented by Lokesh Kanagaraj's production company, G Squad, [13] the film released on 15 December 2023 to favorable reviews. [14]
Vijay Kumar will also play the lead in Reel Good Films second production, Election. [15] The film, directed by Thamizh, co-stars Preethi Asrani. It also features Pavel Navageethan, George Maryan and Dileepan, with music by Govind Vasantha. The principal photography wrapped up on 4 September 2022 and the film will release on 17 May 2024. Vijay Kumar has also written the dialogues of the film. [16]
| Year | Film | Credited as | Role | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writer | Director | Actor | Producer | Background Music | ||||
| 2016 | Uriyadi | Lenin Vijay | [17] | |||||
| 2019 | Uriyadi 2 | Lenin Vijay | [18] | |||||
| 2020 | Soorarai Pottru | Dialogues | — | [19] | ||||
| 2023 | Fight Club | Dialogues | Creative Producer | Selvaa | [20] | |||
| 2024 | Election | Dialogues | Creative Producer | Nadarajan | [15] | |||
| Year | Film | Award | Category | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Uriyadi | Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards | Best Debut Actor | Won | [21] |
| 2017 | SIIMA | Best Debut Actor | Nominated | [22] | |
| Tentkotta Awards | Most Watched film of a Debutant Filmmaker | Won | [23] [ better source needed ] | ||
| Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards | Best Production | Won | [24] | ||
| Tamil Nadu Murpoku Ezhuthalar Kalaingargal Sangam Film Awards | Special Award for Production | Won | [25] [26] | ||
| Special Award for Writing and Direction | Won | ||||
| Radio Mirchi Madurai Awards | Best Director | Won | [27] [ better source needed ] | ||
| SIIMA | Best Debut Director | Nominated | [22] | ||
| Filmibeat Tamil Cinema Award | Best Debut Director | Won | [28] [ better source needed ] | ||
| Behindwoods Gold Medals | Direction | Wall of Fame | [29] |
Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, known professionally as Vijay, is an Indian actor and playback singer who works in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning over three decades, Vijay has acted in 68 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. He has won several awards as an actor. Referred to as "Thalapathy" (transl. commander), Vijay has a significant fan following.
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Pa. Ranjith is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He made his directorial debut with the 2012 romantic comedy Attakathi, before earning positive reviews for his second film, the political action-drama Madras (2014). He wrote and directed the action-drama films Kabali (2016) and Kaala (2018), both starring Rajinikanth.

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Uriyadi is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language political action thriller film written, directed and produced by newcomer Vijay Kumar under the production banner Souvenir Productions with Nalan Kumarasamy, Sameer Bharat Ram and Satish Swaminathan presented and co-produced the film. The film stars Vijay Kumar, Mime Gopi, Citizen Sivakumar, Chandru Kumar, Henna Bella, Jeyakanth Velu and Suruli. Set in the 1990s, it revolves around four bachelors, whose carefree lives take a turn when they are embroiled in a political fight, but they end up finding their mutual interconnections.
96 is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by C. Prem Kumar in his directorial debut. Produced by S. Nanthagopal of Madras Enterprises, the film was distributed by Lalit Kumar under his banner, Seven Screen Studio. Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan are in the prominent roles as Ram and Jaanu, while newcomers Gouri G. Kishan and Aadithya Bhaskar played the younger versions. The film also stars an ensemble cast including Bagavathi Perumal, Devadarshini, Aadukalam Murugadoss, and others. The film revolves around the reunion of former students from the batch of 1996, twenty-two years after their graduation. The reunion also serves as an opportunity for two former lovers, Ram and Jaanu, to resolve issues surrounding their separation.
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Uriyadi (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2016 film of the same name directed and produced by debutant Vijay Kumar, who also starred as one of the leads. The film's soundtrack featured seven songs composed by the band Masala Coffee, Anthony Daasan and Vishal Chandrashekhar. The soundtrack was released through Sony Music India on 28 January 2016.