Ajith Kumar

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Ajith Kumar
Born

1 May 1971 (age 42)[1]

Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

Residence

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Nationality

Indian

Other names

Thala

Occupation

Film actor, promotional model,auto racing driver

Years active

1992present

Religion

Hindu [2]

Spouse(s)

Shalini Kumar (2000present)

Children

Anoushka

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,
includingAmarkalam (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[9]
Contents
[hide]

1 Acting career

1.1 Early career

1.2 19951999

1.3 19992002

1.4 20032005

1.5 20062008

1.6 2010present

2 Racing career

2.1 Formula BMW Asia (2003)

2.2 Formula 2 (2010)

3 Personal life

3.1 Family

3.2 Relationships

4 Awards and nominations

5 Filmography

6 References

7 External links

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]

19951999
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.

19992002
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 inA. 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]

20032005
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.

20062008
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 boxoffice, 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]

2010present
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 postArrambam 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
[hide]Awards and nominations
Wins
Award
Filmfare Awards South
3
Vijay Awards
3
Others
5

Nominations

5
7
8

Totals

Year

1999

2001

2002

2006

Awards won

11

Nominations

20

Nominated for

Award

Result

Filmfare Award for Best Actor Tamil

Won

Cinema Express Award for Best Actor - Tamil

Won

Citizen

Cinema Express Award for Best Actor - Tamil

Won

Poovellam Un Vasam

Tamil Nadu State Film Special Award for Best Actor

Won

Asoka

Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role

Villain

Filmfare Award for Best Actor Tamil

Won

Filmfare Award for Best Actor Tamil

Won

Vijay Award for Favourite Hero

Won

Tamil Nadu State Film Honorary MGR Award

Won

Vaali

Varalaru

Nominated

Year

2007

Nominated for

Award

Result

Vijay Award for Favourite Hero

Nominated

Filmfare Award for Best Actor Tamil

Nominated

Billa

2008

Aegan

Vijay Award for Favourite Hero

Nominated

2010

Aasal

Vijay Award for Favourite Hero

Nominated

2011

2012

Vijay Award for Best Villain

Won

Vijay Award for Favourite Hero

Won

Chennai Times Award for Best Actor

Won

Mankatha

Billa II

Filmfare Award for Best Actor Tamil

Nominated

SIIMA Award for Best Actor

Nominated

SIIMA Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role

Nominated

Vijay Award for Favourite Hero

Nominated

Filmography
Year

Film

Role

1990 En Veedu En Kanavar

Uncredited Role

1993 Amaravathi

Arjun

1993 Prema Pustakam

Siddharth

Notes

Telugu film

1994 Paasamalargal

Kumar

1994 Pavithra

Ashok

1995 Rajavin Parvaiyile

Chandru

1995 Aasai

Jeevanantham

1996 Vaanmathi

Krishna

1996 Kalloori Vaasal

Vasanth

1996 Minor Mappillai

Ramu

1996 Kadhal Kottai

Surya

1997 Nesam

Nathan

1997 Raasi

Kumar

1997 Ullaasam

Guru

1997 Pagaivan

Prabhu

1997 Rettai Jadai Vayasu

Vijay

1998 Kadhal Mannan

Shiva

1998 Aval Varuvala

Jeeva

1998

Unnidathil Ennai
Koduthen

Sanjay

Guest appearance

1998 Uyirodu Uyiraga

Ajay

1999 Thodarum

Anand

1999 Unnai Thedi

Raghu

1999 Vaali

Shiva,
Dheva

1999 Anantha Poongatre

Jeeva

1999 Nee Varuvai Ena

Subramani

1999 Amarkalam

Vasu

2000 Mugavaree

Sridhar

2000

Kandukondain
Kandukondain

Manohar

2000

Unnai Kodu Ennai

Tharuven

Surya

2001 Dheena

Dheenadhayalan

2001 Citizen

Arivanandham
(Anthony/Abdullah),
Subramani

2001 Poovellam Un Vasam

Chinnasamy

2001 Asoka

Suseema

Filmfare Award for Best Actor Tamil

Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for

Best Actor
NominatedFilmfare Award for Best Actor
Tamil

Hindi film
Nominated Zee Cine Award for Best Actor
in a Negative Role

Dubbed into Tamil as Samrat Asoka

2002 Red

Red

2002 Raja

Raja

2002 Villain

Shiva,
Vishnu

2003

Ennai Thalatta
Varuvala

Filmfare Award for Best Actor Tamil

Satish

2003 Anjaneya

Paramaguru

2004 Jana

Janardhanan

2004 Attagasam

Guru,
Jeeva

2005 Ji

Vasu

2006 Paramasivan

Subramaniyam Siva
(Paramasivan)

2006 Thirupathi

Thirupathi

2006 Varalaru

Shivshankar,
Vishnu,
Jeeva

2007 Aalwar

Aalwar (Shiva)

2007 Kireedam

Sakthivel Rajarajan

2007 Billa

David Billa,
Saravanavelu

Filmfare Award for Best Actor Tamil

Vijay Award for Favourite Hero

Nominated Filmfare Award for Best Actor

Tamil

Nominated Vijay Award for Favourite Hero

2008 Aegan

Shiva

Nominated Vijay Award for Favourite Hero

2010 Aasal

Shiva,
Jeevanandham

Also screenwriter
Nominated Vijay Award for Favourite Hero

2011 Mankatha

Vinayak Mahadevan

Vijay Award for Favourite Hero

Vijay Award for Best Villain
Chennai Times Award for Best Actor
Nominated Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Tamil

2012 Billa II

David Billa

Nominated Vijay Award for Favourite Hero

2012 English Vinglish

Ajith

Cameo appearance

2013 Arrambam

Ashok Kumar (AK)

2014 Veeram

Filming