Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar (born 22 June 1974), known professionally asVijay, is an Indian actor and politician who works inTamil cinema. In a career spanning over three decades, he acted in69 films and is amongst the highest paid actors in India. He is one of the most commercially successful actors in the industry with multiple films amongst thehighest-grossing Tamil films of all time. He haswon several awards as an actor. Referred to as "Thalapathy" (transl. Commander), he has a significant fan following.
In 2004, he starred in the blockbuster action-masala filmGhilli and with subsequent success ofThirupaachi (2005) andPokkiri (2007), he established himself as one of the leading and commercially successful actors in Tamil cinema. Following a period of moderate success, Vijay acted in several critically and commercially successful films starting from the early 2010s includingThuppakki (2012),Kaththi (2014),Mersal (2017),Sarkar (2018),Master (2021),Beast (2022),Leo (2023), andThe Greatest of All Time (2024).
In February 2024, Vijay announced his retirement from films and his entry into politics with the launch of his political outfit, known asTamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
In 2003, following the action-romance filmThirumalai, Vijay starred inGhilli, directed byS. Dharani, alongsideTrisha andPrakash Raj.[24] The movie became a commercial success and became the first Tamil film to gross over₹500 million at the domestic box office and also broke the record for the most people watching the movie within the first week of its release, previously held byM. G. Ramachandran'sAdimai Penn (1969).[25][26][27] Following the same, he acted inMadhurey andThirupaachi in 2005.[28] Later, he starred in the commercially successful filmsSachein,Sivakasi andPokkiri.[28]Pokkiri became one of the highest-grossing films of his career at the time.[29]
Vijay in 2007
In late 2007, Vijay starred in the romanticthriller filmAzhagiya Tamil Magan, where he portrayed a dual role for the first time in his career. He played the roles of both protagonist and antagonist.[30] The film was commercially successful outside India.[31][32] Except the commercially successful,Kuruvi in 2008[33][34] andVettaikaaran in 2009, his subsequent releasesAzhagiya Tamil Magan andVillu were average successes at domestic box office while continuing to be more successful overseas.[35][36][37] Vijay continued to be one of the highest paid actors despite the moderate success of then recently released movies.[38]
In 2010, he acted in the action comedy filmSura, which was his 50th film as an actor.[39][40] In early 2011, Vijay acted in the romantic comedyKaavalan, directed bySiddique which received positive response and a box office collection of₹102 crore worldwide.[41][42] The film was screened at theShanghai International Film Festival in China.[43]Kaavalan was a commercial success in China.[44] His next film was the action filmVelayudham, directed byM. Raja which released duringDiwali and became one of the top-grossing films of 2011.[25] The movie was also a critical success overseas.[45]
2012–2022: Commercial success and stardom
Vijay in 2013
In 2012, Vijay acted in the commercially successfulNanban, a remake of successful Hindi film3 Idiots.[46][47] Later in the year, he acted in the action thrillerThuppakki, directed byA. R. Murugadoss.[48] The film became the third Tamil film to gross more than₹100 crore domestically and became the most successful film of Vijay's career at the time, grossing over₹121 crore.[49] His next filmThalaivaa, directed byA. L. Vijay, was released in August 2013 to mixed reviews.[50][25] In 2014, he acted inJilla which ended up as a box office hit.[51][52] Vijay then starred in the action thrillerKaththi, where he portrayed another dual role. The film received positive reviews and collected₹130 crore at the box office, becoming one of the highest-grossing Tamil films in 2014.[53]
In 2015, he starred in thefantasy filmPuli, directed byChimbu Deven, which received mixed to poor reviews from critics.[54][55] Despite the reviews, the film was one of the highest-grossing films of 2015.[56][57][58] In April 2016, the action-thrillerTheri directed byAtlee released to mixed reviews.[59] It became the second-highest-grossing Tamil film of 2016, grossing over₹170 crore.[25] In 2017, themasala filmBairavaa was released, again to mixed reviews.[60] In 2017, the action thrillerMersal released, which became a commercial success, becoming the first of Vijay's films to gross over₹250 crore.[53][61] The film won the Best Foreign Language Film award at theNational Film Awards UK in 2018 with Vijay earning a nomination for the best supporting actor.[62] The film was amongst the few films of Vijay to be released in Japan and China with further screening at theBucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea.[63][64][65]
In 2018, Vijay acted in thepolitical filmSarkar, which entered the100 Crore Club within two days.[66] The film was released in 80 countries and became his second ever film to gross over₹250 crore.[67][68][69] Vijay acted in afootball action filmBigil, which released in 2019.[70] While the film received mixed reviews from critics, Vijay was praised for the portrayal of his character and the film was a commercial success, earning more than₹300 crore.[71][72] It was also the first Tamil film to be released inEgypt andJordan.[73] In 2021, his next filmMaster, directed byLokesh Kanagaraj was released.[74][75] Upon release, it received mixed to positive reviews from the critics.[76][77] The film collected over₹300 crore worldwide and was declared a box office success.[78] His next film was thedark comedy action filmBeast, which received mixed reviews from critics.[79][80][81] The film performed well in overseas box office and was commercially successful, collecting more than₹300 crore worldwide.[82][83][84][85] It became one of the most viewed films onNetflix globally in 2022.[86][87]
2023–present: Continued success
In 2023, Vijay starred in theaction drama filmVarisu directed byVamshi Paidipally.[88][89] The film was a commercial success, grossing over₹300 crore at the box office.[90][91] His next release of 2023 was the action thrillerLeo.[92][93] It received mixed reviews from critics, but went on to become a commercially successful film and emerged as one of the highest grossing Indian films of the year with a gross more than₹600 crore.[94][95] His action thriller filmThe Greatest of All Time opened to mixed reviews, but had a theatrical revenue of more than₹450 crore.[96][97][98] In February 2024, Vijay announced that he would do only one more film, which will be his 69th and last as a lead actor, titled asJana Nayagan.[99][100][101]
Vijay is considered as one of the most prolific singers among Tamil actors.[102][103] He has sung for various composers includingIlaiyaraaja, andA. R. Rahman.[104][105] He made his singing debut with the song "Bombay City Sukkha Rotti" inRasigan (1994). After recording his 25th song, "Vaadi Vaadi" inSachein (2005), he took a sabbatical from singing to concentrate on acting. He made a comeback with the track "Google Google" inThuppakki (2012), which earned him the award for the favorite song of the year at theVijay Awards,[106] and a nomination for the best play back singer in theSouth Indian International Movie Awards.[107] In 2015, he was nominated for theBest Playback Singer award in theFilmfare Award South for the song "Yaendi Yaendi".[108] In 2016, the song "Selfie Pulla" voiced by Vijay became popular in Europe.[109] He was again nominated for the filmfare award for the song.[110]
On 27 September 2025, 41 people died in acrowd crush during a political rally addressed by Vijay inKarur. He condoled the deaths and later announced ex-gratia payments to the next of kin of the dead and the injured.[118]
Vijay married Sangeetha, aSri Lankan Tamil on 25 August 1999.[120][121] They have two children: a son Sanjay who briefly appeared alongside his father inVettaikaaran, and a daughter Divya who appeared in her father'sTheri.[122][123]
The Tamil Nadu deputy chief ministerUdhayanidhi Stalin, who had cast Vijay in the lead role in the 2008 filmKuruvi, described Vijay as "a close friend" since childhood.[124]
Wealth and earnings
Vijay is among the highest paid actors in Tamil cinema.[125][126] As of 2021[update], Vijay's net worth was above₹4.2 billion (US$50 million).[127] He earned a₹1 billion (US$12 million) salary forBeast and also earned an estimated₹1.2 billion (US$14 million) to₹1.5 billion (US$18 million) salary forVarisu.[128][129] In 2023, he reportedly received a₹2 billion (US$24 million) salary forThe Greatest Of All Time, becoming one of the top paid actors in India.[130]
Tax litigation
In 2015, theIncome Tax Department conducted a search at actor Vijay’s premises, leading to the disclosure of an additional ₹15 crore in income for the financial year 2015–16 including the payments related to the moviePuli. Although Vijay paid tax on the disclosed amount, the department later imposed a penalty of ₹1.5 crore under Section 271AAB(1) of the Income Tax Act, stating the disclosure was made only after the search. Vijay challenged the penalty before theMadras High Court in 2022, arguing that the penalty proceedings were time-barred. The Income Tax Department opposed the petition, maintaining the penalty was valid. As of 2025, the matter remains pending, with interim protection granted against recovery of the penalty.[131][132][133]
On 5 February 2020, theIncome Tax Department raided Vijay's residence in Chennai on potential tax evasion and his investments inimmovable properties.[134][135] Later, the officials stated that nothing significant was found during the raid.[136] On 13 July 2021, theMadras High Court dismissed a writ petition filed by Vijay in 2012 seeking exemption of theEntry Tax for hisRolls-Royce Ghost car that was imported from the United Kingdom and imposed a fine of₹0.1 million (US$1,200).[137] On 27 July 2021, a two-judge bench of Madras High court stayed the earlier order.[138] On 25 January 2022, the court dismissed the critical statements made by the earlier judge and on 15 July 2022, the court declared that no fine shall be imposed.[139][140][141]
Accolades
Vijay at the International Achievement Recognition Awards in 2018
In 1998, Vijay was awarded theKalaimaamani award by theGovernment of Tamil Nadu. He received anhonorary doctorate from theDr. M.G.R. University for of his achievements in the film industry in 2007.[142] He has received numerous other awards and accolades for his acting.[143][144] He was awarded the Best International Actor of 2018 in the International Achievement Recognition Awards, for his role inMersal.[145]
In the media
Referred to asThalapathy, Vijay has a significant fan following in India.[146]News 18 describes Vijay as a "versatile actor" and a "fantastic playback singer, dancer and philanthropist".[147][148] He has been praised for his dancing,[149] withThe Times of India labelling his dance moves as "energetic and effortless".[150][151] He has been praised for his acting skills withZee Media reporting that "Vijay amazed audiences with his acting and screen presence".[152]
Vijay was placed second inRediff.com's "Best Tamil Actors" list in 2012.[153] He has appeared several times onForbes India Celebrity 100 list from 2012 to 2019,[154][155] and peaked at 26th position in 2018.[156] He was the third most tweeted about South Indian actor in 2020 and in 2021, he was the most tweeted about actor on the same list.[157][158] In 2019, a wax figure of Vijay was unveiled in a museum inKanyakumari.[159][160] In 2023, Vijay was ranked eighth among the global celebrities in Asia by theEastern Eye magazine .[161][162] As per a research study conducted in 2023 by Indian Institute of Human Brands, Vijay was one of the most bankable celebrities in South India.[163] In 2024, he was placed 35th onIMDb's list of 100 most viewed Indian Stars.[164] In the same year, he was placed sixth inEastern Eye's Top 50 Asian Stars.[165]
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