Ajith Kumar (born 1 May 1971), often mononymously called Ajith, is an

Indian film actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. To date, Ajith

has starred in over 50 films. In addition to his acting, he is also a motor car

racer and participated in the MRF Racing series (2010).

He began his career with a small role in the 1990 Tamil film En Veedu En

Kanavar. Singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam introduced Ajith to Tamil film

industry by referring him to play lead role in Amaravathi (1993).[3] Then,

Ajith starred in film Prema Pusthakam (1993), and his first critical acclaimed

appearance was in the thriller Aasai (1995).[4] He subsequently established

himself as a romantic hero with Kadhal Kottai (1996), Aval Varuvala (1998)

and Kadhal Mannan (1998). Successful films such

as Vaali (1999), Mugavaree (2000), Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000)

and Citizen (2001)[5] followed. He established himself as an action

hero starting with film Amarkalam (1999), in which he co-starred with his

future wife, Shalini.

On 29 April 2011, Ajith dismantled all his fan clubs in Tamil Nadu as his fan

club members were not adhering to his requests due to lack of unity and

political aspirations among them.[6]

Early life

Ajith was born on 1 May 1971, in Hyderabad, India.[1] His Tamil father P.

Subramaniam is from Palakkad, Kerala[7] and his Sindhi mother Mohini is

from Kolkata, West Bengal.[8] He dropped out of Asan Memorial Senior

Secondary School in 1986 before completing his higher secondary. [9][9] Ajith

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.[10] Ajith was the middle son out of

three brothers, the others being Anup Kumar, an investor, and Anil Kumar,

an IIT Madras graduate-turned-entrepreneur

Acting career

1990–99

Ajith did not speak Tamil as a child as he practiced Sindhi by his mother

instead of Tamil, and mastered it only after becoming an actor. Aged 19,

Ajith began his acting career and appeared in a song in En Veedu En

Kanavar (1990). Later, Ajith was selected by the Telugu film production

company Lakshmi Productions, to star in its film; however, the shooting was

stalled soon after filming began, following the death of the film's director.
[12]
 Ajith then appeared 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.[9] After the release and

while training for an amateur motor race, Ajith suffered a fall, injuring his

back and underwent three major surgeries resulting in 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]

In 1995, after playing the second lead 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.[4][14] He later played the lead in Kalloori Vaasal, co-

starring Prashanth and Pooja Bhatt.[9] Ajith's second successful film came in

the form of National Award winning Kadhal Kottai, in which Ajith reunited

with Agathiyan, the director of the earlier project Vaanmathi.[15] During

Vaanmathi filming, Ajith and Swathi fell in love and the actress even

revealed that they are going to get married soon to a Telugu TV channel,

however the pair broke up and it still remains a mystery. [16] The film Kadhal

Kottai paired him opposite Devayani, with Heera Rajgopal playing a

supporting role.[5] Heera, Ajith's then girlfriend, played a major role in

shaping Ajith's career.[17]

After the success of his films in 1996, the following year saw a series of five

classical successes, one such being Amitabh Bachchan's Tamil

production Ullaasam, with Maheswari, in which he was paid a salary of ₹2

million (equivalent to ₹8.8 million or US$120,000 in 2019) for the first time.

[9]
 Ajith returned in 1998 with another big, successful project

in Saran's Kaadhal Mannan, an action romantic comedy, setting the

foundation for an expanding fan base.[9] He also began acting

in Vasanth's Nerukku Ner, and was later replaced by Suriya.[18] The following

films Aval Varuvala and Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen also became successes,

with the latter featuring Ajith in a guest role. Except for Uyirodu Uyiraga,

which performed poorly, his other three films released in 1998 and six in

1999 were box office hits. Ramesh Khanna's Thodarum and Sundar C's

romantic drama Unnaithedi opposite Malavika set the tone for a series of big

successes.

1999–2007

S. J. Suryaah's thriller Vaali, which portrayed him in dual roles for the first

time opposite Simran, became one of his biggest hits during that time. [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.[19] 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". [20] 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 Amarkalam, directed by Saran and

featuring Shalini, whom he married shortly after the film. Amarkalam told the

story of a neglected child who grew up and failed to show feelings of love or

affection, becoming a gangster in the process, with Ajith's depiction of his

rogue character appreciated by critics.[21]

His next, Mugavaree, won him commercial and critical praise.[22] 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".[23] He also appeared in A. R. Rahman's 2000

musical Kandukondain Kandukondain, directed by Rajiv Menon. The film

featured Ajith alongside prominent actor Mammooty and

actresses Aishwarya Rai, Tabu and Srividya.[24] 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.[25][26] After giving six straight hits in 1999, and having

had Mugavaree and Kandukondain Kandukondain in 2000 as successes,

Ajith had an unsuccessful film, Unnai Kodu Ennai Tharuven, co-starring

Simran.[21][27]

In 2001, Ajith appeared in three commercially successful Tamil

films. Dheena co-starring Laila Mehdin and Suresh Gopi, released

at Pongal and marked the beginning of a new image of Ajith as an action hero

who would appeal to the masses.[28] He earned the nickname, "Thala"

(Leader), from this film. In the same year, he was offered a role in Nandha,

which he rejected and was replaced by Suriya, the eldest son of

actor Sivakumar.[29] His next was the much-hyped thriller Citizen, portraying

him in ten different get-ups and it became a commercial success at the box

office.[30] 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.[31] The year ended off

with an appearance in Santosh Sivan's Hindi project Asoka, in which Ajith

played as one of the antagonist against Shah Rukh Khan, which did not

perform well.[32] In 2002, Ajith appeared in three films, the first

two, Red[33] and Raja[34] 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 disabled person and another as a

caring brother, became successful and earned his second Filmfare Best Tamil

Actor Award.[35][36]

From 2003 through 2005, Ajith appeared in fewer films due to his career in

motor racing becoming more prominent.[37] 2003 saw the release of his long-
delayed Ennai Thalatta Varuvala and the police drama Anjaneya, both failing

commercially. In that period, three successful films, namely Saamy, Kaakha

Kaakha and Ghajini, were turned away by the actor due to various reasons.[38]

His next film, Jana with Sneha, also became a big failure, with the Saran

film Attagasam, being his only hit in the period.[39] 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.[40][41] Of the five films released between

2003 and 2005, his only box office hit was Attagasam.

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.[42] The film enjoyed a moderate success, scoring over Vijay's Aathi,

which also released in the same week, at the box office. [43] Critics from The

Hindu stated that 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.
[44]
 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.[45] Similarly, his next film, 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".[46] Ajith summed up a successful

comeback by the release of his long-delayed film Varalaru, which went on to

become his first biggest success. 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.[47][48] Moreover, the film earned Ajith his

third Filmfare Best Actor Award.[49] In 2007, media reports hinted that the

actor would do a project with Shankar.[50] 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.[51] 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.[52] During the shooting of the film, Ajith

developed a further spinal injury, a recurrence of his problem earlier in his

career.[53]
Ajith then starred in Billa, a remake of the 1980 Rajinikanth starrer of the

same name. The Vishnuvardhan directorial fetched critical praise for Ajith,

becoming a trend-setter for stylish art direction and cinematography in India.

[54]
 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.

2008–present

After Billa, Ajith appeared in the film, Ayngaran International's

production Aegan, directed by the choreographer turned director Raju

Sundaram. The film, a remake of the 2004 Hindi comedy Main Hoon Na,

received mixed reviews and was a failure at the box office. [55] Following a

year 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 bigger expectations.[56]

After a second foray into motor racing, Ajith signed a film directed

by Venkat Prabhu, titled Mankatha, which notably became his 50th project.

[57]
 The film featured him in a full-length negative role as Vinayak

Mahadevan, a suspended police officer with a lust for money. His

performance and his decision to portray a character with negative shade,

breaking the stereotype hero image in Tamil cinema,[58][59] 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". [60][61] 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", [60] while the latter wrote that practically

"he carried the whole film on his capable shoulders". [61] Mankatha became a

financially successful venture.[58]

Ajith then starred in Billa II, a sequel to his 2007 film Billa, which released

on 13 July 2012. Reviewers appreciated Ajith's on-screen presence and stunts

but blamed him for the choice of story and the director. [62][63][64][65]
[66]
 Eventually, the film performed poorly at the box office. [67] He starred

in Vishnuvardhan's Arrambam, alongside Arya, Nayantara and Rana

Daggubati, which was released on 31 October, and earned positive reviews

from both critics and audience.[68] His next film after Arrambam was Veeram,

directed by Siva and co-starring Tamannaah, which was released

on Pongal 2014,[69] which also earned positive reviews from critics. [70] Ajith's

next film was Yennai Arindhaal, with Gautham Menon as director.[71] Ajith's

performance as cop was widely praised with a critic calling it "Ajith's best

since Kandukondain Kandukondain".[72] Ajith was subsequently nominated

for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil in the 63rd Filmfare Awards

South. Ajith worked with Siva again in Vedalam (2015), in which critics

praised his performance.[73] His latest project is Vivegam which received

mixed to negative reviews with critics citing illogical scenes and average

screenplay.[74][75] Viswasam released during Pongal festival of January 2019 is

a box office hit having sentiment and action scenes which made it attractive

for his fans and family audiences. Nerkonda Parvai which becomes the 2nd

movie for Ajith in 2019.

Other works

In 2004, Ajith was signed as Nescafe's brand ambassador in Tamil Nadu.

[76]
 Later, he has limited his appearance to the silver screen by not appearing

or promoting any commercials.

Ajith Kumar is passionate about UAVs and drones.[77] Recently he has been

appointed as the test pilot and UAV system advisor by Madras Institute of

Technology[78] for Medical Express-2018 UAV Challenge.