24 YEARS OF ILAYATHALAPATHY

Naalaiya Theerpu, directed by SA Chandrasekhar and written and produced by his wife Shoba Chandrasekhar starring their son Vijay had released on December 4th 1992. It was Vijay's first film in a lead role. He had previously acted as a child artiste in his father's direction but this was the first time he was playing the protagonist. Even though the film received an average response at the box office, it was the birth of a superstar, a star who was to be followed like a demi god. In his initial years, he did around 6-7 films which were only directed by his father, SAC. A few of his first notable hit films were Coimbatore Maapillai, Poove Unnakaaga, Love Today and Nerrukku Ner (also starring Suriya).

It didn't take him a long time to earn some fans, as he was also called Ilayathalapathy by his fans by the time his first few films had come out. In 1997, Vijay starred in Kadhalukku Mariyadhai, directed by Fazil. This film was one of Vijay's first blockbuster super hits and it paved way for more. After Kadhalukku Mariyadhai, Vijay starred in a number of films which then went on to become hits like, Priyamudan, Thulladha Manamum Thullum, Kushi and Priyamaanavale. He then did Friends, directed by Siddique and the film also starred Suriya.

Vijay is not just known for his acting skills but also for his dancing skills. He is regarded as one of India's finest actor-dancers and he is also known for his playback singing abilities and has sung over 30 songs for various music directors from Ilayaraaja to Anirudh.

24 years after the release of his first film, today, he stands tall as one of the most sought-after heroes in South India. His most recent release was Theri which was a blockbuster and his next film, Bairavaa is slated for a 2017 January release.

Congratulations Vijay for successfully completing 24 years in this industry!