Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar (born 22 June 1974), known professionally as Vijay, is an Indian actor and playback singer who works in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning in just over 3 decades, Vijay has acted in over 65 films and is one of the most commercially successful actors in Tamil cinema with multiple films amongst the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time and is amongst the highest paid actors in India.
Born in Madras to director S. A. Chandrasekhar, Vijay made his debut as a child actor in the Tamil film Vetri (1984). After a view roles as a child actor in his father’s films, he played his first lead role in the film Naalaiya Theerpu (1992) at the age of 18. Vijay continued doing lead roles for the next few years with hat-trick results, notable films amongst them included Poove Unakkaga, Love Today, Kadhalukku Mariyadhai, Thulladha Manamum Thullum and Kushi. In 1998, he was awarded Kalaimaamani by the Government of Tamil Nadu. In 2004, he starred in Ghilli, which became the first Tamil film to gross over ₹50 crore and with subsequent success of Thirupaachi and Pokkiri later, he established himself as one of the leading and commercially successful actors in Tamil cinema. Following a period of moderate success, Vijay acted in various critically and commercially successful films starting in the late 2010s including Thuppakki, Kaththi and Sarkar. He has won several awards as an actor.
Referred to as "Thalapathy" (transl. commander), Vijay has a significant fan following. In February 2024, Vijay announced his retirement from films and his entry into politics with the launch of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. He was featured in Eastern Eye top celebrities in Asia, and he is the only Tamil actor to feature among Bollywood actors in the list in 2023.[1] Early life and family Vijay was born as Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar on 22 June 1974 in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu.[2][3] His father, S. A. Chandrasekhar, is a film director and his mother, Shoba Chandrasekhar is a playback singer and vocalist.[4] His father is of Christian descent and his mother is a Hindu.[5][6] Vijay had a sister, Vidhya, who died when she was two years old.[7] Vijay did his schooling initially at Fathima school, Kodambakkam and later at Balalok school, Virugambakkam.[8][9] He pursued a bachelor degree in visual communication from Loyola College.[10]