Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian
film actor working predominantly in
Tamil cinema. He has won three
Filmfare Best Actor Awards, all for films which showcased him in multiple roles. In addition to his acting, Ajith, in a sabbatical, participated in the
2004 British Formula Three season as a
Formula Two racing driver and was ranked the third best motor car driver in India at his peak.
[3][4]
He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil
thriller Aasai (1995),
[5] before going on to establish himself as a romantic hero with
Kadhal Kottai (1996),
Aval Varuvala (1998) and
Kadhal Mannan (1998) being the most notable. He was later seen in method roles as in
Vaali (1999),
Mugavaree (2000),
Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) and
Citizen (2001)
[6] before establishing himself as an action hero with popular films, including
Amarkalam (1999),
Dheena (2001),
Villain (2002),
Attagasam (2004),
Varalaru (2006),
Billa (2007),
Mankatha (2011) and
Arrambam (2013).
Ajith remains a popular figure in the media of
Tamil Nadu, making headlines for his relationships before his marriage to former actress
Shalini,
[6] and his controversial statements in a few occasions.
[7] His popularity and cultural influence have been compared to that of yesteryear actor
M. G. Ramachandran by several veteran journalists.
[8]Ajith was listed #61 in
Forbes India's Top 100 Celebrities for the year 2012
(Redirected from
Ajith kumar)
Acting career
Early career
Ajith Kumar was born to a middle-class family in
Secunderabad, a city north of
Hyderabad, to a
Palakkad Iyer father and a
Sindhi mother and was brought up in
Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
[3] He dropped out of
Asan Memorial Senior Secondary School in 1986 before completing his higher secondary.
[10]
He took up work as a two wheeler auto mechanic, and got himself a
driver's licence to coincide with his interests, that of car / bike
racing. In childhood he was fan of M.G.Ramachnadran and Rajesh Khanna.
During his teens he became fan of Kamal Hasan. At 18, Ajith had to take
up a job to support his career in racing. Joining as an apprentice, he
rose to be a merchandiser with a garment export company, doing
small-time press ads and TV commercials occasionally. He had put a lot
of money into racing and would borrow tyres from his friends who used to
help when the chains wore out as there was no money in racing at that
time. Following an accident, several business agencies pushed him into
modelling for advertisements in print media. He had to make a choice
between films and racing, and as the movies were happening and
generating him some money, he began concentrating on it.
[10]
Aged 20, Ajith was selected by Telugu FILM productions, Lakshmi
Productions, to star in their film; however shooting was stalled soon
after filming began, following the death of the film's director.
[11] Ajith then started his film career at the age of 21 appearing in the low budget
Telugu film,
Prema Pustakam in 1992, which remains his last direct Telugu film to date. His first Tamil film
Amaravathi, directed by then newcomer
Selva, was a moderate success and his voice was rendered by fellow actor,
Vikram.
[10]
After the release, Ajith whilst training for an amateur motor race,
suffered a fall, injuring his back and underwent three major surgeries
resulting in a bed rest for one and a half years.
[11] Following the injury in 1993, Ajith played a small role in the
Arvind Swamy starrer,
Paasamalargal, before appearing in a supporting lead role in the family drama,
Pavithra, which featured him as an ailing patient shown maternal affection from
Raadhika.
[12]
1995–1999
In 1995, after a supporting role in the
Vijay starrer
Rajavin Parvaiyile, Ajith appeared in his first major success,
Aasai. The film directed by
Vasanth and produced by
Mani Ratnam, featured him in the lead role opposite
Suvalakshmi, whose brother-in-law infatuates about her. The film became a big success and established Ajith as an upcoming actor in
the Tamil film industry.
[5][13] He later played the lead in
Kalloori Vaasal co-starring
Prashanth and
Pooja Bhatt.
[10] Ajith's second blockbuster came in the form of
National Award winning
Kadhal Kottai, in which Ajith reunited with Agathiyan, the director of the earlier project
Vaanmathi.
[14]
The film which told the tale of two people falling in unconditional
love without seeing each other until the climax. The film paired him
opposite
Devayani, with
Heera Rajgopal, who Ajith fell in love during the making of the project, playing a supporting role.
[15]
After the success of his films in 1996, the following year saw a series of five failures,
[11] the most notable being
Amitabh Bachchan's Tamil production
Ullaasam with
Maheswari, in which he was paid a salary of Rs. 2 million for the first time.
[10] Ajith returned in 1998 with another successful project in
Saran's
Kadhal Mannan, with the "
masala film" setting the foundations for an expanding fan base.
[10] He also rejected roles in
Vasanth's
Nerukku Ner, which was later played by actors
Vijay and
Suriya.
[16] Following films
Aval Varuvala and
Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen also became successes, with the latter featuring Ajith in a praised guest role. Except for
Uyirodu Uyiraga which flopped his other 3 films released in 1998 and 6 in 1999 were box-office hits.
Ramesh Khanna's
Thodarum,
Sundar C's romantic drama
Unnaithedi opposite
Malavika set the tone for a series of big successes.
1999–2002
S. J. Suryaah's thriller,
Vaali, which portrayed him in dual roles opposite
Simran, became one of his biggest hits following its release.
[11]
The film told the story of a deaf and mute brother setting his eyes on
his younger brother's wife, with Ajith's portrayal of the two brothers
winning him his first of many
awards for Filmfare's Best Actor.
[17]
Furthermore Ajith's portrayal of the brothers was also praised, with
critics claiming that the film was an"instant classic" with Ajith
showing that he is a "talented actor".
[18] The two following supporting roles in the drama films
Anandha Poongatre and
Nee Varuvai Ena also brought Ajith plaudits for his portrayals. His final film before the new millennium was another blockbuster,
Amarkalam directed by Saran and featuring
Shalini, whom he married shortly after the film.
Amarkalam
told the story of a negelected child who grew up and fails to show
feelings of love or affection, becoming a gangster in the process, with
Ajith's depiction of his rogue character appreciated by critics.
[19]
His next,
Mugavaree, won him commercial and critical praise.
[20]
The film revolved around the life of a struggling music composer who
faces sacrifices to proceed in his career. The film featured dual
endings, one with Ajith succeeding in his career, the other with Ajith
dejected. Ajith's performance was yet again praised with critics from
Rediff,
claiming that "Ajith is the real winner", drawing an allusion with the
film's script, whilst adding that "it is amazing to see how Ajith has
grown as an actor. He brilliantly portrays the vulnerable and sad
Sridhar".
[21] He also appeared in
A. R. Rahman's 2000 musical
Kandukondain Kandukondain directed by
Rajiv Menon. The blockbuster featured Ajith alongside prominent actors
Mammooty and
Abbas and actresses
Aishwarya Rai,
Tabu and
Srividya.
[22]
In a similar role to his previous film, Ajith played a struggling film
director facing an oscillating relationship with Tabu, with the pair
being unanimously praised for their roles.
[23][24]
After giving 6 straight hits in 1999 and having had Mugavaree and
Kandukondain Kandukondain in 2000 as success, Aith had a flop
Unnai Kodu Ennai Tharuven co-starring Simran.
[19][25]
In 2001, Ajith appeared in 3 commercially successful Tamil films.
Dheena,
A. R. Murugadoss's debut film co-starring
Laila Mehdin and
Suresh Gopi, indirectly marked the beginning of a new image of Ajith, that of an action hero that would appeal to the masses.
[26] Furthermore from the successful film, Ajith's nickname in the film,
Thala, Tamil for Leader, became a new identity for the actor amongst his fans.
[27] In the same year, he was offered a role in
Nandha, which he rejected.
[28] His next was the much-hyped thriller,
Citizen,
portraying Ajith in ten different get-ups and it became an above
average success at the box office, despite being labelled a
disappointment from critics.
[29] A role in the family drama,
Poovellam Un Vasam followed opposite
Jyothika and was a success commercially and critically earning a
Special Best Actor Award from the Tamil Nadu State.
[30] The year ended off with an appearance in
Santosh Sivan's Hindi project,
Asoka, in which Ajith appeared in a brief negative role alongside
Shah Rukh Khan, which flopped.
[31] 2002 saw Ajith appear in three films, the first two;
Red[32] and
Raja[33] being box office disappointments, the former further building up his image as an action hero. The third film,
Villain,
in which Ajith appeared in dual roles, one as a mentally ill handicap,
became a blockbuster and in return earning Ajith his second
Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award.
[34][35]
2003–2005
The following years, from 2003 till 2005, saw Ajith appear in fewer
films due to his career in motor racing becoming more prominent.
[36] 2003 saw the release of his long-delayed
Ennai Thalatta Varuvala and the police drama
Anjaneya, both failing commercially. In that period, four blockbuster films, namely
Saamy,
Kaakha Kaakha and
Ghajini, were turned away by the actor due to various reasons.
[28][37]
His next film,
Jana with
Sneha, also became a big failure, with the Saran film,
Attagasam, being his only hit in the period.
[38]
The film, saw Ajith portray dual roles, with a song, "Thala Deepavali",
penned to promote his action image. In 2005, the failure of the
Linguswamy film
Ji, despite garnering positive reviews and taking a strong opening, saw Ajith take a sabbatical from acting to re-work his image.
[39][40] Of the five films released between 2003 and 2005, his only box-office hit was
Attagasam.
2006–2008
During 2006, Ajith returned from his hiatus by appearing in
P. Vasu's
Paramasivan for which he had lost twenty kilograms to portray the lead role.
[41] The film enjoyed a moderate success, scoring over Vijay's
Aadhi, which also released in the same week, at the box-office.
[42] Critics from
The Hindu
stated Ajith looked "trim and taut" in the film with "only his eyes
seeming to have lost some of its sparkle", following the major weight
loss.
[43] Furthermore, for
Paramasivan and his two other projects in 2006, Ajith sported long hair, which was being grown for
Bala's project,
Naan Kadavul, which Ajith eventually opted out of.
[44] Similarly his next,
AVM Productions's,
Thirupathi directed by
Perarasu performed above average business at the box-office, despite garnering poor reviews, with
Rediff critics citing that the film is "anything but sensible" but that Ajith "salvages the situation with a spirited performance".
[45] Ajith summed up a successful comeback by the release of his long-delayed film,
Varalaru which went on to become his biggest success til date. The
K. S. Ravikumar film co-starring
Asin, portrayed Ajith in three roles, including that of a classical dancer, with his portrayals being critically praised.
[46][47] Moreover, the film fetched Ajith his third Filmfare Best Actor Award, on its way to becoming a blockbuster.
[48] In 2007, media reports hinted that the actor would do a project with
Shankar.
[49] Ajith's first release in 2007,
Aalwar became a debacle at the box-office, with his previous film still continuing to run in theatres even after
Aalwar had stopped its brief theatrical run.
[50] Kireedam, a remake of the 1989
National Award winning
Malayalam film of the same name was released to positive reviews, with the film also becoming a moderate success.
[51] During the shoot of the film, Ajith developed a further spinal injury, a recurrence of his problem earlier in his career.
[52]
Ajith then starred in
Billa, a remake of the 1980
Rajinikanth starrer
of the same name, which became a blockbuster, the
Vishnuvardhan directorial fetched critical praise for Ajith, becoming a trend-setter for stylish art direction and cinematography in India.
[53] Billa,
yet again, featured Ajith in dual roles one of a notorious don whilst
the other played an innocent person who had to act as the don, following
the former's death. After
Billa, Ajith appeared in the film
Ayngaran International production
Aegan, directed by the choreographer turned director
Raju Sundaram. The film, a remake of the 2004
Hindi comedy
Main Hoon Na, failed at the box office.
[54]
2010–present
Following a year's worth of production, Ajith's
Aasal
released in February 2010, taking a grand opening at the box office.
The film, which also featured Ajith in dual roles, also failed at the
box office despite its bigger expectations.
[55]
After a second foray into motor racing, Ajith signed up to star in a film directed by
Venkat Prabhu, titled
Mankatha, which notably became his 50th project.
[56]
The film featured him in a full-length negative role as Vinayak
Mahadevan, a suspended police officer who lusts after money. His
performance and his decision to portray a character with negative
shades, breaking the stereotype hero image in Tamil cinema,
[57][58] were lauded by critics, with reviewers from
Sify and
Rediff terming the film as an "out and out Ajith film" that worked "only because of Ajith".
[59][60]
Heaping praise on the actor's performance, the former noted that he
"rocks as the man with ice in his veins as the mean and diabolic cop"
and that he played "the emotionless bad man, to perfection",
[59] while the latter wrote that he had "carried practically the whole film on his capable shoulders".
[60] Mankatha brought Ajith Kumar his best ever opening in his career and went on to become a financially successful venture as well.
[57]
Ajith then starred in
Billa II, a
prequel to his 2007 blockbuster
Billa,
which released on 13 July 2012 to mixed reviews with critics praising
Ajith's screen presence and stunts, film's cinematography, pace and
style while criticizing the climax to be poor and blaming the director.
[61][62][63][64][65] However it had a wonderful opening and was declared a commercial success.
[66][67][68]
He has starred in
Vishnuvardhan's
Arrambam alongside
Arya,
Nayantara and the film released on October 31 to very high positive reviews from both critics and audience.
[69]The movie collected a heavy sum of
100 crore (US$15 million) worldwide in just 10 days.
[70]His next film post
Arrambam is director
Siva's
Veeram, which is scheduled to release in
Pongal 2014.
[71]
Racing career
Ajith Kumar competing in the final round of the
MRF racing series (2010) in Chennai
Ajith is a keen
race car driver
and has driven in circuits around India in places such as Mumbai,
Chennai and Delhi. Ajith is one among very few Indians to race in
International arena and only Indian actor to compete in Formula
championships. He has also been abroad for various races, including
Germany and Malaysia. He drove in the 2003 Formula Asia BMW
Championships.
[72] He raced in the 2010 Formula 2 Championship along with two other Indians,
Armaan Ebrahim and
Parthiva Sureshwaren.
[73]
Formula BMW Asia (2003)
After a one-off race during the
Formula Maruti
Indian Championships in 2002, where he finished in fourth place, Ajith
signed a contract with manager Akbar Ebrahim confirming his
participation in the inaugural
Formula BMW Asia
Championship. Despite spinning out in the first lap of his first race,
Ajith successfully completed the season by finishing seventh in the
season.
Formula 2 (2010)
After a six-year sabbatical, Ajith signed up for his third season of car racing by participating in the
2010 season of the
FIA Formula Two Championship.
[74] The decision to be involved in the sport was made after Ajith's film directed by
Gautham Menon was delayed, allowing Ajith to participate for the whole season.
[75] Prior to signing up, Ajith competed in the final round of the MRF racing series in
Chennai in February 2010, but failed to finish the race due to mechanical problems. Further trials in
Sepang,
Malaysia followed suit as he practised for the season's beginning in
April 2010 in his Formula Renault V6 car with Eurasian Racing, shedding
11 kilograms during training.
[76]
Personal life
Family
Ajith Kumar was born on 1 May 1971 to a
Palakkad Iyer Iyer named P. Subramaniam and his wife Mohini, of Sindhi origin from
Kolkata, West Bengal.
[3][77]
Ajith later created the non-profit organisation "Mohini-Mani
Foundation", named after his parents, in order to promote self-hygiene
and civic consciousness and to help ease the problems of urban sprawl.
[78] Ajith Kumar was the middle son out of three brothers, the others being Anoop Kumar, a
stockbroker in New York and Anil Kumar, an
IIT Madras graduate working in
Seattle.
[79] Moreover, Ajith had younger twin sisters, both of whom died young.
[3] Through his marriage to actress
Shalini, Ajith became brother-in-law to actor,
Richard Rishi, and actress
Shamili, who appeared as his sister-in-law in
Rajiv Menon's
Kandukondain Kandukondain.
Relationships
In 1999, during the shoot of
Saran's
Amarkalam, Ajith began to date his co-star
Shalini. At that time, their involvement made him a regular subject of
tabloid
gossip, a role to which he was accustomed following his previous
relationship. Ajith proposed to Shalini in June 1999, and following
consultations with her family, she agreed.
[6]
They were married in April 2000 in Chennai in a grand ceremony. As both
were of different religions, Ajith being a Hindu Brahmin and Shalini
being Protestant Christian, they were married together under the customs
of both religions. After their marriage, Shalini retired as an actress
and became a full-time housewife, following the completion of two
unfinished projects.
[80] On 3 January 2008, their daughter, Anoushka, was born in Chennai.
[81]
Awards and nominations
Ajith Kumar awards and nominations
|
|
| Totals |
| Awards won |
11 |
| Nominations |
20 |
Filmography
 |
| thala before 18 years |
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