Ajith Kumar

Ajith Kumar (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai (1995).^[2] A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with Kadhal Kottai (1996), Aval Varuvala (1998), Kadhal Mannan (1998) and Unnai Thedi (1999) being the most notable. He later forayed into method acting, as seen in Vaali (1999), Mugavaree (2000), Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) and Citizen (2001)^[3] 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).

He has won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards in Tamil, all for films which showcased him in multiple roles. Ajith performs predominantly in leading roles in major studio films, genres ranging from romantic comedies and drama to action thrillers. In addition to his acting, Ajith, in a sabbatical, participated in the 2004 British Formula Three season as a race driver for a minor outfit, and was ranked the third best motor car driver in India at his peak.^[4][5] Ajith remains a popular figure in the media of Tamil Nadu, making headlines for his relationships before his marriage to former actress Shalini,^[3] his long-running media-built rivalry with actor Vijay^[6][7] and his controversial statements in a few occasions.^[8]

Acting career

Early career

Ajith Kumar was born as the middle-class family in Secunderabad, a city north of Hyderabad to a Tamil Iyer from Kerala^{[9][dead link]} and a Sindhi mother, and was brought up in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.^[10][10] He dropped out of Asan Memorial Senior Secondary School in 1986 before completing his higher secondary.^[11] 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. 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.^[11]

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.^[12] 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.^[11] 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.^[12] 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.^[13]

Breakthrough (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.^[2][14] He later played the lead in Kalloori Vaasal co-starring Prashanth and Pooja Bhatt.^[11] 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.^[15] 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.^[16]

After the success of his films in 1996, the following year saw a series of five failures,^[12] 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.^[11] Ajith returned with another successful project in Saran's Kadhal Mannan, with the "masala film" setting the foundations for an expanding fan base.^[11] He also rejected roles in Vasanth's Nerukku Ner, which was later played by actors Vijay and Suriya.^[17] Following films Aval Varuvala and Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen also became successes, with the latter featuring Ajith in a praised guest role. After a couple of average grossers in Uyirodu Uyiraga and Ramesh Khanna's Thodarum, Sundar C's romantic drama Unnaithedi opposite Malavika became another comeback film and set the tone for a series of big successes.

Stardom (1999-2001)

S. J. Suryaah's thriller, Vaali, which portrayed him in dual roles opposite Simran, became one of his biggest hits following its release.^[12] 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.^[18] 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".^[19] 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.^[20]

His next, Mugavaree, won him commercial and critical praise.^[21] 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".^[22] 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.^[23] 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.^[24][25] His first failure in eight films, came in the form of the military based Unnai Kodu Ennai Tharuven co-starring Simran.^[20]

Ups and downs (2001–05)

In 2001, Ajith appeared in Dheena, A. R. Murugadoss's debut film co-starring Laila Mehdin and Suresh Gopi. The film, 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. 2002 saw Ajith appear in three films, the first two; Red and Raja being average grossers, the former further building up his image as an action hero.^[31] 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.^[32][33]

The following years, from 2003 til 2005, saw Ajith appear in a fewer amount of films due to his career in motor racing becoming more prominent.^[34] 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][35]

His next Jana with Sneha also became a big failure, with the Saran film, Attagasam being his only hit in the period.^[36] 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.^[37][38]

Success and Superstardom (2006–present)

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.^[39] The film enjoyed a moderate success, scoring over Vijay's Aadhi, which also released in the same week, at the box-office.^[40] 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.^[41] 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.^[42] 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".^[43] 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.^[44][45] Moreover, the film fetched Ajith his third Filmfare Best Actor Award, on its way to becoming a blockbuster.^[46] In 2007, media reports hinted that the actor would do a project with Shankar.^[47] 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.^[48] 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.^[49] During the shoot of the film, Ajith developed a further spinal injury, a recurrence of his problem earlier in his career.^[50]

Ajith then starred in Billa, a remake of the 1980 Rajinikanth starrer of the same name, which became a blockbuster grossing 78 crores worldwide thus becoming the second highest grossing Tamil film ever next to Sivaji.^[51] The Vishnuvardhan directorial fetched critical praise for Ajith, becoming a trend-setter for stylish art direction and cinematography in India.^[52] 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, only managed to do above average business at the box office.^[53] Following a year's worth of production, Ajith's latest release, Aasal released in February 2010, taking a grand opening at the box office. The film, which also featured Ajith in dual roles, saw Ajith credited as a screenwriter along with his role of being a don neglected by his brothers in the quest for their father's will.^[54]

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.^[55] 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,^[56][57] 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".^[58][59] 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",^[58] while the latter wrote that he had "carried practically the whole film on his capable shoulders".^[59] Mankatha brought Ajith Kumar his best ever opening in his career and went on to become a financially successful venture as well.^[56]

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.^{[60][61][62][63][64]} However it took extraordinary opening and was declared a commercial success, though not as big as his previous blockbusters Billa and Mankatha.^[65][66][67]

He is currently acting in Vishnuvardhan's Untitled Film alongside Arya and Nayantara.^[68]

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.^[69] He raced in the 2010 Formula 2 Championship along with two other Indians, Armaan Ebrahim and Parthiva Sureshwaren.^[70]