Kollywood stars - Then and now

You know their names, but you don’t know their journey! Our very own Kollywood stars have come a long way in films, be it performances or commercial success. Long before they became the superstars of Tamil cinema, many of our current heroes had a humble beginning. Right from Kamal Haasan to Suriya, we look at celebrities who aged with grace.

Starting off as a child artist, ‘Ulaganayagan’ Kamal Haasan worked with top stars of the time including MG Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan and Gemini Ganesan. Kamal Haasan made his dream debut in ‘Kalathur Kannamma’ for which he was awarded the President’s Gold Medal. Often regarded as the perfectionist of Indian cinema, Haasan is a multiple National Award winner and is arguably one of the finest actors we have in the country. In 2016, Haasan was honoured with the prestigious Chevalier award by the French government for his contribution to Indian cinema. A multifaceted artist, Haasan recently announced his political party and is currently busy with political commitments. However, he will next be seen in ‘Vishwaroopam 2’ and ‘Indian 2’, after which he is rumoured to quit acting.

Shivaji Rao Gaekwad had a humble beginning in films. The actor’s talent by the legendary filmmaker K Balachander, who christened him with the name Rajinikanth in his debut film ‘Apoorva Raagangal’. While Rajinikanth initially planned supporting roles, a breakthrough happened in Mahendran’s ‘Mullum Malarum’, which is regarded as his best performance till date. The ‘90s particularly saw the phenomenal growth of Rajini, who is one of the biggest superstars in India. In 2007, Rajinikanth was declared as the second highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan when his ‘Sivaji’ released. Like his friend Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth too announced his political entry and is expected to float his own party soon. The Padma Vibhushan awardee has two biggies, ‘Kaala’ and ‘2.0’ coming out this year.

Vijay was launched by dad SA Chandrasekar in the film ‘Naalaya Theerpu’, which bombed at the box-office. During his initial phase, Vijay was panned by critics, who predicted that the actor would fail miserably in films. However, Vijay proved them wrong and became the ‘Thalapathy’ of Tamil cinema. His first major success came through ‘Poove Unakkaga’, directed by Vikraman. Interestingly, Vijay has acted in several performance-oriented roles like ‘Kadhalukku Mariyadhai’, ‘Thullatha Manamum Thullum’ and ‘Priyamanavale’ to name a few. Like many actors, Vijay too was trapped by stardom and went on to act in commercial potboilers. Today, Vijay is the most bankable star in Tamil cinema and his have worked wonders for the producers. Last seen in ‘Mersal’, Vijay is currently shooting for his forthcoming ‘Thalapathy 62’ with AR Murugadoss.

Everyone knows the fact that Ajith Kumar wanted to become a racer and was passionate about cars. After doing odd jobs, Ajith started his career as a model, who then got an opportunity to debut in ‘Amaravathi’, which was average hit at the box-office. He soon became the ‘Thala’ of Tamil cinema following the blockbuster success of ‘Theena’ in early 2000s. It shot him to stardom, which was later topped by ‘Billa’. A remake of Rajinikanth’s film, ‘Billa’ was a runaway hit at the box-office. Currently, Ajith Kumar is going through a rough patch in his career after his last release ‘Vivegam’, which tanked at the box-office. The star, who recently turned 47, is once again teaming up with Siva for ‘Viswasam’, which is likely to release this year.

After his stint as a model, Vikram started as an actor in supporting roles in the films. Vikram’s journey is one of the saddest stories. The actor reportedly waited ten long years to achieve his first success. Yes! After back-to-back flops, Vikram wanted to quit acting. But it was Bala who convinced him with the tragedy film ‘Sethu’, which became a landmark film for Vikram. Vikram has earned the reputation of being the most dedicated actor and has won a National Award for Best Actor. He’s often known to push boundaries and surprise the audiences with his diverse characters. Vikram made headlines for his physical transformation for the film ‘I’, which released in 2015. The star is all set for the release of the spy-thriller ‘Dhruva Natchathiram’, in which he plays a RAW agent.

Elder son of veteran actor Sivakumar, Suriya was supposed to debut in Vasanth’s ‘Aasai’. However, he turned down several offers due to nepotism. Eventually, Suriya made his acting debut alongside Vijay in ‘Nerukku Ner’, which was a success at the box-office. In a career spanning more than two decades, Suriya has earned the reputation of giving justification to any characters he plays on screen. Groomed by Bala, Suriya’s ‘Kaakha Kaakha’ and ‘Ghajini’ turned the table for the star. He’s often known for his stellar performance in Bala’s ‘Pithamagan’. After dating co-star Jyothika for years, Suriya tied the knot in 2007 and has two kids -- Diya and Dev. Suriya will be soon seen in filmmaker Selvaraghavan's ‘NGK’, which is slated to release on Diwali.

Younger son of Sivakumar, Karthi worked as an erstwhile assistant to filmmaker Mani Ratnam in films like ‘Aayutha Ezhuthu’ and ‘Yuva’. A mechanical engineer by profession, his debut film ‘Paruthiveeran’, which waves when it released in 2007. The film was a runaway hit at the box-office and shot Karthi to fame. After experimenting in films, Karthi established his own market in Tamil cinema and is one of the successful stars we have today. Last year, Karthi gave two memorable performances in form of ‘Kaatru Veliyidai’ and ‘Theeran Adhigaram Ondru’. His rural entertainer ‘Kadai Kutty Singam’ will release this summer.

Dhanush was 17 when he made his acting debut in his father’s ‘Thulluvadho Ilamai’, which was written by his brother Selvaraghavan. The film opened to mixed reviews and attained average success. In the following year, Dhanush made an impactful debut as a mentally-disturbed youngster in ‘Kadhal Kondein’, which got rave reviews and became a major success at the box-office. After acting in many commercial films, Dhanush shot to superstardom when his ‘Aadukalam’ released. He received his first National Award for Best Actor for the film. Dhanush won the hearts of the Hindi audiences after playing the lead role in ‘Raanjhanaa’. The ‘Kolaveri’ star is all set for his international project ‘The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakhir’.

Silambarasan aka Simbu started his career as a child artist and has appeared in many of his father T Rajendar’s films like ‘Oru Thayin Sabatham’, ‘Thai Thangai Paasam’ and ‘Shanthi Enathu Shanthi’ to name a few. At a very young age, Simbu danced to the song ‘I am a Little Star...avanen da Super Star’ in the film ‘Samsara Sangeetham’. He got his adult role in ‘Kadhal Azhivathillai’, directed by his father. However, it was the film ‘Kovil’ that shot him to fame. After the blockbuster success of ‘Manmadhan’, Simbu carved out a space for himself in Kollywood. Often known to find himself in controversies, the actor is currently working on ‘Chekka Chivantha Vaanam’.