JOSEPH VIJAY
ACTOR|DIRECTOR|PRODUCER|LYRICIST|SINGER
Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar (born 22 June 1974), 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.
Born in Madras to director S. A. Chandrasekhar, Vijay made his debut as a child actor in the Tamil film Vetri (1984). After a few roles as a child actor in his father’s films, he played his first lead role in the film Naalaiya Theerpu (1992) at the age of 18. Vijay continued doing lead roles for the next few years with notable films amongst them included Poove Unakkaga, Love Today, Kadhalukku Mariyadhai, Thulladha Manamum Thullum and Kushi. In 1998, he was awarded Kalaimaamani by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
n 2004, he starred in Ghilli, which became the first Tamil film to gross over ₹50 crore and with subsequent success of Thirupaachi and Pokkiri later, 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 early 2010s including Thuppakki, Kaththi, Mersal, Sarkar, Master, Leo and The Greatest of All Time.
In February 2024, Vijay announced his retirement from films and his entry into politics with the launch of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
Vijay was born as Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar on 22 June 1974 in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu.[1][2] His father, S. A. Chandrasekhar, is a film director and his mother, Shoba Chandrasekhar is a playback singer and vocalist.[3] His father is of Christian descent and his mother is a Hindu.[4][5] Vijay had a sister, Vidhya, who died when she was two years old.[6] Vijay did his schooling initially at Fathima school, Kodambakkam and later at Balalok school, Virugambakkam.[7][8] He pursued a bachelor degree in visual communication from Loyola College.[9]
At the age of 10, Vijay made his debut as a child actor in the Tamil film Vetri, produced by P. S. Veerappa in 1984.[10] He then acted as a child actor in films such as Kudumbam (1984), Vasantha Raagam (1986), Sattam Oru Vilayaattu (1987) and Ithu Engal Neethi (1988). He also acted in a supporting role with Rajinikanth in Naan Sigappu Manithan (1985), directed by his father.
In 2009, Vijay launched his fan club Vijay Makkal Iyakkam.[100][101] The organization supported the AIADMK alliance in the 2011 assembly elections.The fan club organization contested in the local body elections in Tamil Nadu in October 2021, securing victory in 115 out of the 169 contested seats.On 2 February 2024, Vijay announced the launch of his political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.Political analysts suggested that the TVK party might undergo expansion to other states of India. Vijay deemed the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 passed by the BJP government as unacceptable as it will disrupt the social religious harmony of the nation.