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]
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 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]
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]
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]
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. Thadam's 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 Mafia: Chapter 1 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.[37] 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.[38] The next was released a Web Series Tamil Rockerz[39] 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.[40]
Personal life
In 2006, Vijay married Aarathi, daughter of film producer Dr. N. S. Mohan[41][42] 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.[6][43]Arun Vijay's Hometown is Pattukkottai in Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu.
Filmography
Films
Note: He was credited as Arunkumar (sometimes Arun) from 1995 to 2006. He was credited as Arun Vijay from 2007 onwards.
^Certain award groups do not simply award one winner. They recognize several different recipients, have runners-up, and have third place. Since this is a specific recognition and is different from losing an award, runner-up mentions are considered wins in this award tally. For simplification and to avoid errors, each award in this list has been presumed to have had a prior nomination.