Vishal Krishna Reddy (born 29 August 1977),[1] professionally known asVishal, is an Indian actor and film producer who works inTamil cinema. He produces films under his production company,Vishal Film Factory.[2] Vishal was conferred with theKalaimamani award in 2006 for his contributions to Tamil cinema.[3]
Vishal Krishna Reddy was born on 29 August 1977 into aTelugu-speaking family inChennai, Tamil Nadu.[6][7][8] His father and mother, G. K. Reddy and Janaki Devi, are business people and film producers inTelugu andTamil films.[9] His elder brother,Vikram Krishna, is also an actor and producer who has produced several of Vishal's films.[10] His family hails fromNellore,Andhra Pradesh.
Vishal assisted actor-directorArjun in his ventureVedham (2001), and a producer spotted Vishal on the sets of the film and signed him to appear in an acting role inGandhi Krishna'sChellamae (2004).[12][13] Accepting the role, Vishal prepared by joiningKoothu-P-Pattarai to hone his acting skills and played the protagonist role of Raghunandan, whose wife is kidnapped by her childhood friend.[13] A critic described his performance is "apt" but "there was plenty left to hone".[14][15] His next film wasSandakozhi (2005) withN. Linguswamy, who had previously worked with his father's production house as an assistant director.[16] Vishal was described to have "improved from hisChellamae days" and "clicked as an action hero".[17] Film journalists stated that he was "the fastest rising action hero" of the time.[18] After a cameo as himself inSasi'sDishyum (2006), he went on to appear inTarun Gopi's action filmThimiru (2006). The film opened to mixed reviews with Vishal being praised for his intense performance with a critic calling his performance "the film's only strength and, to an extent, making up for the weak script and poor characterisation".[19] The film became Vishal's third consecutive commercial success, and he began to emerge in Tamil films.[20]
Vishal with his father G. K. Reddy and former Chief Minister of Tamil NaduM. Karunanidhi.
His next film, the political action dramaSivappathigaram (2006), directed byKaru Palaniappan was a failure financially despite favourable reviews.[21] His next film was released in January 2007,Hari's multi-starring family action dramaThaamirabharani (2007) and the film went on to gain considerable box office success, carrying good reports amidst other big budget releases.[22][23] Later in the year, he appeared inBoopathy Pandian'sMalaikottai (2007), a comedy entertainer. In his first full-length comic role, Vishal received mixed feedback for his portrayal from critics, withRediff stating that he is "a far cry from the rather endearing young man in Sandakozhi", whilst describing his performance as "cringe-able".[24]Behindwoods stated it is an "Average masala-mix entertainer".[25] The film took a large opening and was declared a blockbuster, featuring in the top 10 atBehindwoods box office. In the year 2008, for the first time, Vishal portrayed a police officer inSathyam, which became a commercial failure at the box office. Then both his filmsThoranai (2009) andTheeradha Vilaiyattu Pillai (2010) were just average grossers. Additionally, the box-office duds,Sathyam andThoranai, both of which were bilingual in Tamil and Telugu, failed to establish his popularity in Telugu cinema.[26]
Vishal was then given the opportunity to feature inBala's dark comedyAvan Ivan (2011), after being recommended to the director by his friendArya. Portraying a village stage actor with a squint, Vishal had severe eye pain and headaches, and he also had a serious muscular injury on sets.[27] The film opened to mixed reviews, though Vishal's performance won positive reviews.Indiaglitz stated that Vishal delivered an "award winning performance" and that his "mannerisms and body language give you goosebumps". The reviewer further cited that "Vishal's spontaneous response to his mentor's death in the movie is touching. His demonstration ofNavarasas in front of actor Suriya will melt you in tears".[28][29] Vishal played the role of a police officer in his following releaseVedi (2011), directed byPrabhu Deva, which was declared an instant flop at the box office.[30]
In the 2013 filmSamar, Vishal played a forest trek guide.Behindwoods stated that he "rocks in the action sequences".[31][32] Following a cameo role inTheeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru, he starred in the action filmsPattathu Yaanai andPandiya Naadu. The latter was Vishal's debut production venture, while the former was the film debut ofAishwarya Arjun, the daughter of Arjun.[33][34] Vishal opted to produce and collaborate with Thiru for a third ventureNaan Sigappu Manithan (2014), a revenge drama, in which his character hadnarcolepsy. To prepare for the lead role, Vishal read up and studied real life case studies of people with the disorder, citing that there were no references from cinema which he could watch and learn. Then he had acted under directorHari for the second time inPoojai (2014), which did somewhat good business at the box office. In 2015, he acted two films, namely,Aambala andPaayum Puli.[35][36]
He was elected asPresident ofTamil Film Producers Council election, which was held on 2 April 2017.[41][42][43] Apart from this, Vishal is also a staunch advocate againstonline piracy since 2014, having started an anti-piracy cell.[44]
In September 2017, Vishal played a detective inThupparivaalan directed byMysskin which was loosely based on the British writerArthur Conan Doyle's detective character,Sherlock Holmes. The film was a commercial success and was appreciated by audiences and critics.[45] In 2018, Vishal had two major releases. The first one wasIrumbu Thirai directed by newcomerP. S. Mithran which released in May 2018.[46] And second wasSandakozhi 2 released in October 2018 was written and directed byN. Lingusamy. A sequel to the successfulSandakozhi (2005), the film stars Vishal in his 25th film.[47] The film turned out to be an average grosser.[48]
In 2019, he did one movie titledAction directed bySundar C.[51] The film received mixed reviews and was a box office failure.[52] In 2021, he acted inChakra directed my newcomer M.S Anandan. The film received mixed reviews from critics and audience and become an average grosser.[53] His movies,Enemy (2021),Veeramae Vaagai Soodum (2022) andLaththi (2022) opened to mixed reviews from critics. However, his next film,Mark Antony (2023) received positive reviews from critics and audience and became a box office success which was a comeback for Vishal after string of failures. It was Vishal's highest-grossing film in his career worldwide, surpassingIrumbu Thirai and his first film to gross 100 crore worldwide.[54] In 2024, Vishal's portrayal ofRathnam directed byHari. The film rides on a fairly engaging premise but crumbles under the weight of a needlessly dense screenplay.[55] After an incredible 12-year delay, Vishal's much-awaited Tamil action-comedyMadha Gaja Raja finally saw the light of day, releasing in theatres on 12 January 2025. Initially announced in 2012, the film endured a turbulent production journey marked by cast changes, script rewrites, and even disputes with distributors.[56]
Vishal filed his nomination as an independent candidate for the by-poll toRadhakrishnan Nagar constituency in Chennai, which fell vacant followingJayalalithaa's death in December 2017.[60] But his nomination was rejected.[61]
In 2025, Vishal openly announced his relationship with actressSai Dhanshika, his friend of fifteen years at the time, during the press-meet of the filmYogi Da. The pair got engaged on 29 August 2025, on his 48th birthday.[62]
^Rangan, Baradwaj (21 May 2016)."Maruthu: Fists of fury".The Hindu.Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved23 October 2020 – via www.thehindu.com.
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