Vijay is an Indian film actor and playback singer who works in Tamil cinema. He is one of the highest paid actors in Tamil cinema. Vijay at the age of ten marked his childhood cinematic debut in drama Vetri, he continued to perform as child artist in films till Ithu Engal Neethi, directed by his father S. A. Chandrasekhar. He then featured in the film Naalaiya Theerpu in lead role at the age of eighteen also directed by his father, but he received his breakthrough in the film Poove Unakkaga, which was directed by Vikraman. To date, he has acted in 62 films as a lead actor and has won numerous awards including notable three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, one Cosmopolitan Award, one Indiatoday Award, one SIIMA Award, eight Vijay Awards, three Edison Awards, two Vikatan Awards and one National Award UK.
Birth Name
Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar
Nicknames
Thalapathy, Ilayathalapathy
Profession
Actor, Singer
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Vijay was born on June 2, 1974 in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India.
Age
He is currently 44 years old.
Sun Sign
Cancer
Education
He attended Balalok Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Virugambakkam, Chennai. After completing his school education, he was enrolled to Visual Communications in Loyola College but he dropped out to focus on his acting career.
Nationality
Indian
Ethnicity
Asian / Indian
Religion
Christianity
Family Details
- Father – S. A. Chandrasekhar (Film Director)
- Mother – Shoba Chandrasekhar (Playback Singer and Carnatic Vocalist)
- Siblings – Vidya (Younger sister) (died at 2 years old)
Marital Status
Married
Girlfriend / Spouse
Vijay dated –
- Sangeetha Sornalingam (2005-Present) – Vijay married a fan of his, Sangeetha Sornalingam, a Hindu British Sri Lankan Tamil, on 25 August 1999. They have two children, a son Jason Sanjay born in 2000 in London and a daughter Divya Shasha born in 2005 in Chennai.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 5 feet 10 inches
- In centimeters – 177 cm
- In meters – 1.77 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 73 kg
- In Pounds – 161 lbs
Body Measurements
- Measurements – 39-14-30
- Chest – 39 inches
- Biceps -14 inches
- Waist – 30 inches
Body Build
Athletic
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Hair Color
Black
Shoe Size
He wears shoe size of 10 (US).
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
The actor has been a part of several commercial successful films. His notable films include, Poove Unakkaga (1996), Nerrukku Ner (1997), Kushi (2000), Ghilli (2004), Pokkiri (2007), Thuppakki (2012), Kaththi (2014), Theri (2016) and Mersal (2017).
Debut Film
Vijay began acting at an early age as child artist in a number of films. He was first seen in the 1984 film Vetri. His first film as a hero is Naalaiya Theerpu that was released in 1992.
Brand Endorsements
In 2002, Vijay appeared in Coca-Cola advertisements. He has appeared in a Sunfeast advertisement in 2005. In 2008, Vijay was signed up as an ambassador for the Indian Premier League cricket team Chennai Super Kings. In January 2009, Vijay appeared in a Coca-Cola advertisement. In August 2010, Vijay was signed by Jos Alukkas as their brand ambassador for Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Vijay also appeared in a Tata Docomo advertisement.
Controversies
When he was shooting for “Pokiri”, due to sudden irritation and swelling in the eyes, he had gone through a minor operation.
Awards
- Kalaimaamani – 1998
- Honorary doctorate – Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute (2007)
- Tamil Nadu State Film Awards – 1997, 2002, 2005
- Vijay Awards – 2006, 2007, 2012 (3), 2013 (2), 2014
- South Indian International Movie Awards – 2016
- Edison Awards – 2011, 2012, 2016
- Behindwoods Gold Medals – 2014, 2016
Vijay Favorites
- Favorite Actor – Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth
- Favorite Actress – Simran
- Favorite Food – Chicken Biryani
- Holiday Destination – London, Los Angeles
Vijay Net worth
Vijay has a net worth of $56 million dollars as of 2019. He gets Rs 30- 35 crore as salary for every film and takes home around Rs 3 crore for every endorsement. Vijay is one of the highest paid actors in India and enjoys lucrative endorsements deals. He lives in a luxury pad in Kaveri Street, Saligramam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Vijay is an avid car lover who has an extensive collection of exotic cars such as BMW X5, Toyota Innova, BMW X6, Rolls Royce Phantom, Audi A8 and BMW Mini Cooper S.
Social Media Portfolio
- Facebook – ActorVijay
- Twitter – actorvijay
Some Lesser Known Facts About Vijay
- Vijay is one of the most popular and influential actors in the country, who appears predominantly in Tamil films.
- Vijay incepted his film career in 1984 as a child artist in “Vetri” which was made by his father.
- He is a good friend of South superstars Vikram and Surya.
- Thalapthy has recently completed his 25 years in Tamil cinema and has never turned his back even after facing many failures at the box office during the early stage of his film career.
- He started his career as a child artist and has appeared in more than 62 films with a career spanning more than 25 years.
- He has never acted in other language films except Tamil.
- Thalapathy started a social welfare organisation Vijay Makkal Iyakkam which was officially launched at Pudukottai on 26 July 2009. It is responsible for much of his philanthropic work.
- He has been onto few controversies during his career and few of films faced hurdles to hit the theatres when he planned to venture into politics.
- He was supposed to feature in Dharani’s Dhool and Shankar’s Mudhalvan, but due to busy schedules, he wasn’t able take up the offers.
- Vijay received an honorary doctorate from the M.G.R Educational and Research Institute (Dr. M.G.R University) in 2007 for his contributions to the cause of the poor and downtrodden through social welfare activities and to honour Vijay’s achievement in the film industry.
- Vijay is the first actor in Kolywood to have his movies to gross more than Rs 1 crore at Chennai box office on its opening day.
- He was ranked #28 and #49 on Forbes’ “Celebrity 100” in 2012 and 2013.
