Arun Vijay Explained

Arun Vijay
Birth Date:1977 11, df=yes
Birth Place:Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Birth Name:Arun Kumar
Occupation:Actor
Alma Mater:Loyola College, Chennai
Relatives:Kavitha Vijayakumar (sister)
Anitha Vijayakumar (sister)
Preetha Vijayakumar (half-sister)
Sridevi Vijaykumar (half-sister)
Vanitha Vijayakumar (half-sister)
Years Active:1995–present
Children:2

Arun Vijay (born 19 November 1977), formerly known as Arun Kumar, is an Indian actor who works primarily in Tamil cinema. He also starred in a few films in Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.[1]

Born as Arun Kumar and being the only son of veteran actor Vijayakumar, he debuted in Sundar C's Murai Mappillai (1995).[2] He received early success in Thulli Thirintha Kaalam (1998) and Pandavar Bhoomi (2001).[3]

After a string of failures, he changed his name to Arun Vijay[4] and achieved breakthrough success and recognition for playing lead roles in Malai Malai (2009), Maanja Velu (2010), Thadaiyara Thaakka (2012), Kuttram 23 (2017), Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (2018), Thadam (2019), (2020) and Yaanai (2022).[5] He is noted for his villainous roles in Yennai Arindhaal (2015), (2015) and Chakravyuha (2016).

He is a recipient of many awards, including a Norway Tamil Film Festival Award, two Filmfare South Awards, a Edison Award and three SIIMA Awards.

Early life

Arun Vijay was born as the only son to actor Vijayakumar and his first wife Muthukannu. He studied at Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Egmore. After completing his schooling, he joined Loyola college for his higher studies.

His two elder sisters Kavitha and Anitha, had debuted in the 1995 film, Coolie.[6]

Career

1995-2001

Vijay had a desire to act since childhood. He developed a strong interest by watching his father during film shoots. Vijay started getting film offers when he was in tenth grade but his father wanted him to complete his schooling before acting in films.[7]

Vijay signed on for an A. R. Rahman musical Love Story to be his acting debut, but the delay of that project meant that he accepted Anbalaya Films' offer of Sundar C's Murai Mappillai (1995).[2] He was 18 years old when he signed to act in Murai Mapillai. This made him one of the youngest actors to debut as a hero in the Tamil film industry. Murai Mapillai had a star cast which included Manivannan, K. Prabakaran, Kalaranjini, Goundamani and Senthil. The film was released in December 1995.

In 1996, Vijay's second film, Priyam, was released. Vijay then signed for two films Kathirunda Kadhal and Ganga Gowri under Ganga Gowri Productions. Both were released in 1997.[8] [9] Kathirunda Kadhal was Arun's first film with Suvalakshmi.

In 1998, Vijay played the lead role in director Balasekaran's film Thulli Thirintha Kaalam. It was produced by Kavithalayaa Productions, a company owned by K.Balachander. The film was a commercial success and was later remade in Telugu with a different cast.[10]

In 2000, Vijay featured in two films, Kannaal Pesavaa and Anbudan. Kannal Pesavaa was released in August 2000 and was his second film with actors Suvalakshmi, Goundamani and Senthil. Anbudan, released in November 2000, had two heroines Meena and Rambha.[11] [12] His career hit a nadir when Buddhan, a project which he had physically transformed for, was stalled and dropped in 2000.[13]

In 2001, he played a civil engineer in Pandavar Bhoomi, directed by Cheran. This was the first movie in which Vijay and his father Vijayakumar acted together. This movie won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film (Second Prize) in 2001.[14]

2002-2012

Vijay's next film was Mutham (2002). It was initially titled Muthamidalamma, but was changed after the censor screening. It was directed by S.A. Chandrasekhar and was the first film to be shot using digital cinematography in Tamil cinema.[15] [16] Vijay had a special appearance in Iyarkai (2003), which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil.[17]

He acted in director Ramesh Selvan's Jananam (2004). The film's actress Priyanka Trivedi could not fulfill her scheduled commitments in the film, as she got married in 2003.[18] [19] The film failed to make a mark, as the screenplay was not good and the story was incomplete.[20] Critics appreciated Arun Vijay's acting in the movie.[21] In 2006, he has given a matured performance in Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu.[22] His next projects was Thavam (2007) and Vedha (2008).[23] [24] Thavam was the first film to credit Arun Kumar under his new name Arun Vijay.

The first venture, Malai Malai (2009), directed by A. Venkatesh, became a commercial success. The next, Maanja Velu (2010), by the same team, was also a success. Arun Vijay appeared in Magizh Thirumeni's action-thriller Thadaiyara Thaakka (2012), marking a move away from his previous two Masala films.[25] [26]

2015-present

He starred in Yennai Arindhaal (2015) with actor Ajith Kumar. This was his first film with director Gautham Vasudev Menon. Vijay played the role of Victor, an antagonist.[27]

On September 1, 2015, Vijay launched his own production company called In Cinemas Entertainment (ICE).[28] He said that he launched the company to identify and provide an opportunity to ambitious and talented youngsters.[29]

The same year, he debuted in Telugu in the film Bruce Lee - The Fighter (2015) as the lead antagonist. He also made his Kannada debut as the lead antagonist in the movie Chakravyuha in 2016.[30] [31] His next, Kuttram 23 (2017), returning to lead roles, was a success at the box office.[32] His next movie was Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (2018), which was directed by Mani Ratnam with an ensemble cast.

In 2019, Vijay acted in Thadam, an action crime thriller. He played his first double role in this film. This was also the second film in which he and Magizh Thirumeni worked together, after Thadaiyara Thaakka.[33] The film was loosely based on various real-life crimes where the suspects are identical twins. Thadams biggest strength was Vijay's convincing performance as Kavin and Ezhil.[34] In the action thriller film Saaho, Prabhas was the hero while Vijay played a supporting role.[35] In 2020, he appeared in action crime thriller that was directed by Karthick Naren. In the film, Arun Vijay played a narcotics police officer on a mission to hunt down a drug mafia kingpin.[36]

In 2022, he appeared in the Amazon Prime Video film Oh My Dog. The cast included Vijay, his father Vijayakumar, and his son Arnav Vijay. The next was Yaanai an action drama film written and directed by Hari. The next was released a Web Series Tamil Rockerz[37] and later Sinam directed by G. N. R. Kumaravelan, it is made as an investigative whodunit thriller in which Arun Vijay plays a cop. He delivers a stunning performance once again. The role of an angry cop is tailor-made for an actor with his physique and attitude.[38]

Personal life

In 2006, Vijay married Aarathi, daughter of film producer Dr. N. S. Mohan[39] [40] with whom he has a daughter, Purvi and a son, Arnav Vijay. In 2010, Arun Vijay's eldest sister Kavitha's daughter Hasini married N. S. Mohan's son Hemanth, who is a co-producer of Feather Touch Entertainments and also acted alongside Arun Vijay in Malai Malai.[41] Arun Vijay's Hometown is Pattukkottai in Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu.

Filmography

Films

All films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.

YearTitleRole(s)NotesRef(s)
1995 Murai Mappillai Raja Debut film [42]
1996 Priyam Arimath [43]
1997 Kathirunda Kadhal Mayilsamy [44]
Ganga Gowri Shiva [45]
1998 Thulli Thirintha Kalam Ashok [46]
2000 Kannaal Pesavaa Arun [47]
Anbudan Sathya [48]
2001 Pandavar Bhoomi Tamizharasan [49]
2002 Mutham Bharath [50]
2003 Iyarkai Mukundan Cameo appearance [51]
2004 Jananam Surya [52]
2006 Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu Prem [53]
2007 Thavam Subramaniam [54]
2008 Vedha Vijay [55]
2009 Malai Malai Vetrivel [56]
2010 Thunichal Shiva [57]
Maanja Velu Velu [58]
2012 Thadaiyara Thaakka Selva Also singer for "Poondamalli Thaan" [59]
2015 Yennai Arindhaal Victor Manoharan [60]
Bruce Lee – The Fighter Deepak Raj Telugu film[61]
2016Chakravyuha Omkaar Kannada film[62]
2017Kuttram 23 ACP Vetrimaaran [63]
2018Chekka Chivantha Vaanam Thyagarajan "Thyagu" Senapathi [64]
2019 Thadam Ezhil, Kavin Dual role[65]
Saaho Vishwank Roy / Iqbal Telugu / Hindi film [66]
2020 Aryan, Dileep "Dexter" [67]
2022Oh My Dog Shankar [68]
Yaanai Ravichandran [69]
SinamInspector Paari VenkatAlso playback singer[70]
2024Gunasekhar aka Guna[71]
VanangaanCompleted[72]

As dubbing artist

Awards and nominations

Arun Vijay
Wins:5
Nominations:5
YearAwardCategoryFilmResult
2016Best Supporting Actor – TamilYennai Arindhaal
Edison AwardsBest Villain
Norway Tamil Film Festival AwardsBest Villain
South Indian International Movie Awards
2017Chakravyuha

Notes and References

  1. Web site: It's my time now: Arun Vijay. https://web.archive.org/web/20181001031749/http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2018/oct/01/its-my-time-now-arun-vijay-1879303.amp. dead. 1 October 2018. Ashameera . Aiyappan. The New Indian Express . 1 October 2018. 12 September 2021.
  2. News: His career makes a steady progress – TAMIL NADU . . 5 May 2006 . 2016-01-20.
  3. Web site: Recap on Arun Vijay. Times Now News.
  4. News: Name change seems to be working. Indiaglitz.com.
  5. News: I'll prove one day: Arun Vijay. The New Stuff.
  6. Web site: Wedding bells in Arun Vijays family – Bollywood Movie News . https://web.archive.org/web/20120718012438/http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/57308.html . dead . 18 July 2012 . Indiaglitz.com . 27 May 2010 . 2016-01-20.
  7. News: Arun vijay's interest towards acting. . 5 May 2006 .
  8. Web site: Kathirunda Kadhal (1997). Flicksup.com. 4 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161221022726/https://www.flicksup.com/movies/vEWvtRvcRjqvh8a1xgPr2A/kathirunda-kadhal/people/. 21 December 2016. dead.
  9. Web site: Ganga Gowri (1997). Spicyonion.com.
  10. Web site: Telegu remake of Thulli thiruntha kalam.. telegucinewritersassociation.com .
  11. News: Film Review: Anbudan . . 17 November 2000.
  12. News: Anbudan-Cautious moves . https://web.archive.org/web/20020808144238/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2002/04/19/stories/2002041900990300.htm . dead . 8 August 2002 . . 19 April 2002 .
  13. Web site: Hot News Just for U. 15 May 2001. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20010515044512/http://www.cinesouth.com/masala/11102000/news02.shtml. 15 May 2001.
  14. Web site: Tamil Nadu announces film awards for three years. https://web.archive.org/web/20150710101128/http://www.indiaglitz.com/tamil-nadu-announces-film-awards-for-three-years-tamil-news-10733.html. dead. 10 July 2015. Indiaglitz.com . 1 October 2004 .
  15. News: Digital does it. . 26 August 2002.
  16. News: A digital take. . 2 May 2014.
  17. Web site: National Award-winning director SP Jananathan passes away. 14 March 2021.
  18. News: Upendra wedding comes as a shocker!. . 16 Dec 2003 .
  19. Web site: Arun Kumar hoping for a new birth in Jananam. Indiaglitz.com . 1 November 2004 .
  20. Web site: Jananam Review. Indiaglitz.com . 22 December 2004 .
  21. News: Film review: Jananam. https://web.archive.org/web/20061120094227/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2004/12/24/stories/2004122402850301.htm . dead . 20 November 2006 . . 24 December 2004.
  22. Web site: Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu review. Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu Tamil movie review, story, rating. IndiaGlitz.com. 9 October 2023.
  23. Web site: THAVAM MOVIE REVIEW cast crew Arun Vijay Vandana Arpitha Vadivelu Direction Shakthi Paramesh Music D Imman Production arjun movie wallpapers hot stills picture image gallery.
  24. Web site: VEDHA MOVIE REVIEW ARUN VIJAY SHEELA SRIKANTH DEVA TAMIL MOVIE GALLERY AUDIO SONGS tamil movie hot stills picture image gallery.
  25. News: Thadaiyara Thaakka, a new dimension . . 9 January 2015.
  26. Web site: Actor Arun Vijay interview . Behindwoods.com . 2015.
  27. News: How Ajith helped Arun Vijay get in shape . . 9 January 2015.
  28. Web site: Arun vijay launches his production company called in cinemas entertainment. 2 September 2015.
  29. Web site: Arun Vijay, now a producer too . Deccanchronicle.com . 1 September 2015 .
  30. Web site: Arun Vijay makes his Kannada debut with Chakravayuha. DNA India.
  31. News: Sandalwood debut is at the right time - Arun Vijay. Times of India. Waseem . Mohammed .
  32. News: Kuttram 23 Review : The film is immensely satisfying as a thriller from start to finish. The Times of India .
  33. Web site: Arun Vijay in a dual role. Gulfnews.com.
  34. Web site: Thadam review: An engaging whodunit thriller. https://web.archive.org/web/20190228125748/http://www.sify.com/movies/thadam-review-an-engaging-whodunit-thriller-review-tamil-tc2jR6cjdegid.html. dead. 28 February 2019. Sify.
  35. News: 'Saaho' review: Prabhas' latest is a missed opportunity. Sangeetha Devi. Dundoo. The Hindu. 30 August 2019.
  36. Web site: Arun Vijay teams up with Director Hari for next film. Thenewsminute.com. 18 December 2020.
  37. Web site: Tamilrockerz Web Series Review: A great opportunity frittered . .
  38. Web site: Sinam review. Sinam Telugu movie review, story, rating .
  39. Web site: Arun Vijay wedding – Tamil Movie News . https://web.archive.org/web/20061205215734/http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/27384.html . dead . 5 December 2006 . Indiaglitz.com . 1 December 2006 . 2016-01-20.
  40. Web site: Events – Arun Kumar's Betrothal Function . https://web.archive.org/web/20061108032529/http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/gallery/Events/10450.html . dead . 8 November 2006 . Indiaglitz.com . 12 September 2006 . 2016-01-20.
  41. Web site: A family affair for Vijay Kumar . https://web.archive.org/web/20120309000029/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-08-24/regional/28281324_1_family-affair-wedding-reception-vijay-kumar . dead . 9 March 2012 . 24 August 2010 . . 2016-01-20.
  42. Web site: Murai Mapillai . .
  43. Web site: Priyam. Spicyonion.com .
  44. Web site: Details of the tamil movie Kathirunda Kadhal . Tamilstar.net . 2022-08-09.
  45. Web site: Ganga Gowri . Spicyonion.com.
  46. Web site: THULLI THIRINTHA KAALAM - 1998 - Rights .
  47. Web site: Kannal Pesava. Spicyonion.com .
  48. Web site: Anbudan . .
  49. Web site: rediff.com, Movies: The Pandavar Bhoomi review. Rediff.com. 9 October 2023.
  50. Web site: Mutham . .
  51. Web site: Iyarkai . .
  52. Web site: Jananam . https://web.archive.org/web/20220622135522/https://www.sify.com/movies/jananam-review-tamil-pclvCngfigjie.html . dead . 22 June 2022 . .
  53. Web site: Azhagai Irukirai... Bayamai Irukiradhu . .
  54. Web site: THAVAM MOVIE REVIEW cast crew Arun Vijay Vandana Arpitha Vadivelu Direction Shakthi Paramesh Music D Imman Production arjun movie wallpapers hot stills picture image gallery .
  55. Web site: Vedha . .
  56. Web site: Malai Malai (2009) | Malai Malai Tamil Movie | Movie Reviews, Showtimes . 15 January 2009 .
  57. Web site: Thunichal - Tamil Movie Reviews - Thunichal Arun Vijay Ramana Shiva Manjal Malai Malai Majeed Premji Amaran . Behindwoods.com . 2022-08-09.
  58. Web site: Maanja Velu - Tamil Movie Reviews - Maanja Velu | Arun Vijay | Dhanshika | Prabhu . Behindwoods.com . 2022-08-09.
  59. Web site: Thadaiyara Thaakka Review - Thadaiyara Thaakka Movie Review .
  60. Web site: Yennai Arindhaal (Aka) Ennai Arindhaal review .
  61. Web site: Bruce Lee Telugu Movie Review | Bruce Lee the Fighter Movie Review | Bruce Lee Movie Review | Ram Charan Bruce Lee Review | Chiru Ram Charan Bruce Moive Review | Bruce Lee Telugu Review | Ram Charan Srinu Vaitla Bruce Lee Review | Bruce Lee Cinema Review | Bruce Lee Review | Bruce Lee Twitter Updates | Ram Charan Bruce Lee Live Updates | Bruce Lee Movie Live Updates . 18 October 2015 .
  62. Web site: Chakravyuha . .
  63. Web site: Kuttram 23 review. Kuttram 23 Tamil movie review, story, rating .
  64. Web site: Chekka Chivantha Vaanam star Arun Vijay on his character Thyagu and working with Mani Ratnam . 25 September 2018 .
  65. Web site: Thadam movie review: A thriller that doesn't disappoint . March 2019 .
  66. Web site: Saaho is my first trilingual film: Arun Vijay. The Times of India. 17 August 2019.
  67. News: 'Mafia: Chapter 1' movie review: A wonderfully ordinary movie with a great presentation by Karthick Naren . The Hindu . 21 February 2020 . S . Srivatsan .
  68. Web site: Oh My Dog (2021) | Oh My Dog Movie | Oh My Dog Tamil Movie Cast & Crew, Release Date, Review, Photos, Videos. FilmiBeat.
  69. Web site: Arun Vijay's AV33 with director Hari titled Yaanai . 9 September 2021. 12 September 2021. Times of India.
  70. Web site: அருண் விஜய்யின் சினம் வெளியீட்டு தேதி அறிவிப்பு!. News18. 23 August 2022 . 23 August 2022.
  71. News: Arun Vijay's Achcham Enbadhu Illayae shooting wrapped up. 2023-02-25. Times of India. en.
  72. Web site: Vanangaan: Roshni Prakash latest replacement in Arun Vijay, Bala film . 2023-03-06 . Moviecrow.com.
  73. Web site: Tamil Rockerz OTT Release Date, Star Cast, Plot, Trailer & More . 23 June 2022 .
  74. Web site: Aladdin 2019 / Tamil cast - CHARGUIGOU . 26 December 2022 .