Tamil Features

24 Years Of ‘Ilayathalapathy’ Vijay: Birthday Tribute

By Priya Saravana
Vijay in Theri Movie Stills

Actor Vijay is celebrating his 42nd birthday today. It’s really no surprise that #HBDVijay is trending on Twitter now. While wishes pour into his Twitter news feed, sources report that the actor is currently vacationing in the US with his family. Many of his colleagues in the film fraternity have tweeted to wish him on his birthday.

Fondly known as ‘Ilayathalapathy’ by his legion of fans, there are several theories about the origin of this sobriquet. According to one popular fan theory, producer SA Chandrasekharan, his father, wanted to further his political ambitions, and thereby gave him the nickname ‘Ilayathalapthy’. In those days, Stalin was called ‘Thalapathy’. According to another fan theory, he was anointed with the nickname after the success of his 1996 film, Poove Unakkaga.

The actor is currently working on an untitled project with director Bharathan, of Azhagiya Tamil Magan fame. Many fans coupled their birthday wishes with expressions of excitement over this project. Also starring Keerthy Suresh, this will be his 60th film.

Vijay, who has been in the industry for 24 years, made his debut with the 1992 film, Naalaya Theerpu. After running into a brief rough patch with his first film, his first successful movie was Poove Unakkaga in 1996. Following that, the young actor consolidated his position in the industry with movies like Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997), Priyamudan (1998), Thulladha Manamum Thullum (1999), Priyamanavale (2000) and Kushi (2000).

His 2004 hit movie, Ghilli, still strikes a chord with fans. Few can forget Prakash Raj’s iconic role in the movie as Muthu Pandi, and Vijay’s memorably hilarious moments with his mother. His attempt to break the mould with Sachin in 2005, while unsuccessful commercially, had fans fawning over his boy-next-door look. His 2007 movie, Pokkiri, saw the actor at his subtle best, setting new records at the box office. After a mediocre run with movies like Azhagiya Tamil Magan, Kuruvi, Villu, and Sura, the actor made a comeback with his 2011 film, Kaavalan. Devoid of any commercial elements, the movie had his sole screen presence to drive it to success. His first movie with Director Shankar, Nanban (2012), cast him in a new avatar, much to the delight of his  fans. A break from the mainstream, the movie was well-received by fans. Thupakki (2012) with Murugadoss, for the first time, had the actor play a suave cop with a swagger only Vijay could have pulled off. His other noteworthy films in recent times are Jilla, Kathi, Thalaiva, and Theri.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

With twenty-four years in the industry and more than 50 films under his belt, the actor has scaled the heights of the acting profession. On his 42nd birthday, the actor received massive admiration and adulation on various social media platforms, a fitting testimony to a highly successful career in the industry.

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Priya Saravana is a Alum at Silverscreen India, and can be reached by email at priya@silverscreen.in