From Child Artist to Thalapathy: Tracing Vijay’s Rise in Tamil Cinema

Vijay is today one of the biggest stars in Tamil cinema, but his journey to becoming Thalapathy was not built overnight. From starting as a child artist to facing criticism after his lead debut, and then slowly building a loyal audience with romantic films, action entertainers and blockbusters, Vijay has had one of the most interesting careers in Indian cinema.

As Jana Nayagan arrives in theatres, here is a look at Vijay’s journey and the films that shaped his career.

The Beginning as a Child Artist

Vijay made his debut as a child artist in the Tamil film Vetri in 1984. He later appeared in films including Kudumbam, Naan Sigappu Manithan, Vasantha Raagam, Sattam Oru Vilayaattu and Ithu Engal Neethi. All these films were directed by his father, filmmaker S. A. Chandrasekhar.

In 1992, at the age of 18, Vijay made his debut as a lead actor with Naalaiya Theerpu. The film did not perform well at the box office, and Vijay also faced criticism for his looks and performance.

But the early setback did not stop him.

His father then decided to cast him alongside established actor Vijayakanth in Senthoorapandi in 1993. The film became a hit and helped Vijay connect with a larger audience.

In 1994, Rasigan further increased his popularity, and he began to be known as “Ilayathalapathy”. Around the same time, he also made his debut as a playback singer.

The Romantic Hero Who Found His Audience

The mid 1990s became an important phase in Vijay’s career.

Films such as Deva and Coimbatore Mappillai performed well, while Poove Unakkaga, directed by Vikraman, became a major turning point. The film helped Vijay gain wider popularity and established him as a romantic hero.

He continued with films such as Love Today, Once More and Nerrukku Ner. He also shared the screen with veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan in Once More and appeared alongside Suriya in Nerrukku Ner, which marked Suriya’s debut as an actor.

Then came Kadhalukku Mariyadhai in 1997.

The film connected strongly with family audiences and earned Vijay his first Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor. He was also honoured with the Kalaimamani award by the Government of Tamil Nadu.The success continued with films such as Ninaithen Vandhai, Priyamudan and Nilaave Vaa.

In 1999, Thulladha Manamum Thullum became a blockbuster and helped Vijay build a strong fan base in Kerala as well.

By the end of the 1990s, Vijay had established himself as one of the popular young stars of Tamil cinema.

From Romance to Action

The 2000s saw Vijay slowly move beyond romantic films and take on more action-oriented roles.

His 25th film, Kannukkul Nilavu, was followed by successful films including Kushi and Priyamaanavale. He then appeared in Friends, Badri and Shahjahan.

In 2002, he starred alongside Priyanka Chopra in Thamizhan, followed by Youth and Bagavathi.

The next phase brought films such as Ghilli, Thirupaachi and Sivakasi, which strengthened his image as a commercial action star.

Vijay was now reaching a point where his films were no longer dependent only on romance or family drama. His action films, dance performances and screen presence were becoming an important part of his identity.

Thuppakki Changed the Game

In 2012, Vijay appeared in Nanban, the Tamil remake of the Hindi film 3 Idiots.

Later that year, he starred in A. R. Murugadoss’ Thuppakki.

The action thriller became one of the biggest successes of his career at that time and marked an important change in the way Vijay was seen as a star.

After Thuppakki, he continued with films such as Thalaivaa, Jilla and Kaththi. Kaththi, in which Vijay played a dual role, became one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of 2014.

The actor was now firmly established as one of Tamil cinema’s leading commercial stars.

The Blockbuster Run

Vijay’s career reached another level with a series of successful films.

Theri in 2016 became one of the biggest Tamil hits of the year, while Mersal in 2017 became his first film to cross Rs. 250 crore worldwide.

Mersal also travelled beyond India and was screened in countries including Japan and China, while also being showcased at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea.

In 2018, Vijay starred in the political action film Sarkar, which entered the Rs. 100 crore club within two days and became his second film to cross Rs. 250 crore worldwide.

Then came Bigil in 2019. The football-based action film received mixed reviews, but Vijay’s performance was appreciated and the film became a commercial success, earning more than Rs. 300 crore worldwide.

The film also became the first Tamil film to release in Egypt and Jordan.

Master, Beast and the Rise of a Pan-Indian Star

Vijay returned to the big screen in 2021 with Master, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. The film received mixed to positive reviews and became a box office success, collecting over Rs. 300 crore worldwide.

His next release, Beast, also performed strongly at the overseas box office and collected more than Rs. 300 crore worldwide. It also became one of the most-viewed films on Netflix globally in 2022.

Vijay followed this with films including Varisu, Leo and The Greatest of All Time, continuing his position as one of the biggest crowd-pullers in Tamil cinema.

With every release, the scale around his films grew bigger, and his fan following continued to expand across India and overseas.

Jana Nayagan and a New Chapter

Now, with Jana Nayagan, Vijay enters another important phase of his career.

The film has generated significant interest among his fans and audiences, particularly because it is being seen as his final film as an actor before he focuses on his political journey.

From a child artist in Vetri to a young actor who faced criticism after Naalaiya Theerpu, Vijay’s career has gone through several stages.

He first found popularity through romantic and family films. He then moved towards action and commercial cinema, before becoming a star whose films are celebrated as major events.

His journey has included failures, comebacks, record-breaking box office numbers and films that have travelled beyond Tamil Nadu.

As Jana Nayagan releases, audiences are not just watching another Vijay film. They are also witnessing another chapter in the career of an actor who spent more than three decades building the identity of Thalapathy Vijay.