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Chiyan's
success ride: Destination Bollywood? |
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His is the modern day story of struggle
and triumph over odds. One has to salute
his determination and perseverance which
kept the passion for cinema burning in his
heart. In the shifting sands of popularity,
Vikram has maintained his hard-earned success
with one superlative performance after another.
Besides being a good actor he is also a
great entertainer – such a combination
becoming rarer and rarer these days. He
has also proved that he is a thinking actor,
choosing roles which are great fodder for
his immense talent. |
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Vikram
was born into a family which had no links
with cinema. But even as a little boy, he
was interested in play acting and miming.
He has often recollected that he would spend
much time at rehearsals and thus fail in
the school exams. Yet, the training in the
amateur set up did sharpen his focus on
cinema and he entered the industry to make
it big.
His first film, Meera had a moderate run
but was not anything spectacular to launch
his career. He got many offers in Malayalam
movies where he worked in tandem with other
heroes. Tamil film chances eluded him but
he kept his nose to the grindstone and turned
his attention to dubbing. It was as a dubbing
artiste that Vikram really found his place
in Tamil. This went on for nearly eight
years and yet he did not lose his heart.
Then came a chance offer by a debutante
director, Bala, who had an unconventional
story which needed an actor with extraordinary
courage. No one was interested in the script
but Vikram agreed because he believed in
his ability to project the character with
force without overdoing the melodrama. The
rest as they say is history.
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Following
the stupendous success of Sethu, Vikram
arrived on the scene and quickly became
the toast of the audience and the industry.
Suddenly, producers were willing to invest
on him and directors liked to work with
him. He grabbed the opportunities that came
his way and belted out one success after
another. Kasi, Dil, Dhool, Gemini, Sami,
Pithamagan, Anniyan, etc. He won the National
award for his excellent acting in Pithamagan.
There is a distinct pattern in his films
– he combines mass entertainment with
solid characterization. In all his films,
his characters distinctly stand out as lovable
man-next-door. His earlier Anniyan in which
he changed the body language to suit the
three characters is quite a remarkable film.
It was dubbed in Telugu where it ran to
packed houses and would soon be launched
in Hindi. Would it then mean that our own
King Vikram would soon enter Bollywood?
The actor himself is not so sure. He said
that he was quite happy to be doing in Tamil
alone as he got enough offers to suit his
calibre. He had received offers from Vidhu
Vinod Chopra and Ram Gopal Varma, but he
had turned them down as the roles were that
of an old man. |
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Off
screen, Vikram remains a devoted family
man. He is also actively involved in charity
work. Recently, he spent his birthday at
Vidyasudha, a center for children with learning
disabilities. He does not carry any airs
of a popular star and comes across as the
simple man who enjoys the little pleasures
of life.
Vikram is presently working on Bheema which
is expected to hit the screens in October.
Vikram
Birthday Celebration Gallery >>
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Movie Gallery >> |
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