Tamil superstar Vijay aka Leo completes 31 years in Indian cinema and fans cannot keep their calm. Social media has started reverberating with the ‘Thalapathy’ cheer causing a surge of excitement among his ardent fans.
In a career spanning 31 years, Vijay has been part of several record-breaking movies. He is one of the most loved actors down South, lovingly called ‘Thalapathy’ by his fans.
His journey from an ordinary kid to one of the biggest stars of Indian cinema is nothing short of remarkable. Despite being a very shy and calm-natured man, Vijay enjoys a huge fanbase. He refrains from interviews and also stays away from social media. He only speaks through his work and his movies are his only way of connecting with his fans.
Despite maintaining a very low lifestyle, his connection with the audience is something extraordinary. The name ‘Vijay’ is a brand down South especially in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The ‘Vijay’ brand is not something that came into existence anytime soon. It has been in the making since his debut with ‘Naalaiya Theerpu’ in 1992. Then, he went on to star in commercially successful movies like ‘Sendhoorapandi’, ‘Rasigan’, ‘Deva’ and ‘Coimbatore Mappillai’.
However, he gained immense popularity after he starred in the 1996 film ‘Poove Unakkaga’, which was later dubbed into Hindi as ‘Badhaai Ho Badhaai’. Later, films like Thulladha Manamum Thullum, Kushi, and Priyamaanavale caused his popularity to reach great heights.
He then starred in ‘Ghilli’, which was the first Tamil film to gross over Rs 50 crore at the domestic box office. The movie stands as a pinnacle of success in Vijay’s illustrious career and remains an iconic film in Tamil cinema.
While it is a remake of Mahesh Babu’s Telugu movie ‘Okkadu’, it is widely acknowledged that the Tamil version outshined its original counterpart, both in terms of appeal and success.
Later, Vijay starred in blockbuster movies like Pokkiri, Jilla, Sarkar, Theri, Leo, Thuppakki, and Bigil that took his stardom to new heights.