Arun Vijay

Early life

Arun Vijay was born on 19 November 1977 as the only son to actor Vijayakumar and his first wife Muthukannu. He studied at Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Egmore. After completing his schooling, he joined Loyola college for his higher studies.

Career

1995–2001

Arun had a desire to act since childhood. He developed a strong interest by watching his father during film shoots. Arun started getting film offers when he was in tenth grade but his father wanted him to complete his schooling before acting in films.

Arun signed on for an A. R. Rahman musical Love Story to be his acting debut, but the delay of that project meant that he accepted Anbalaya Films' offer of Sundar C's Murai Mappillai (1995). He was 18 years old when he signed to act in Murai Mapillai. This made him one of the youngest actors to debut as a hero in the Tamil film industry.

In 1996, Arun's second film, Priyam, was released. He was seen for two films Kathirunda Kadhal (1997) and Ganga Gowri (1997).

In 1998, He played the lead role in director Balasekaran's film Thulli Thirintha Kaalam. It was produced by Kavithalayaa Productions, a company owned by K.Balachander.

In 2000, He featured in two films, Kannaal Pesavaa and Anbudan. His career hit a nadir when Buddhan, a project which he had physically transformed for, was stalled and dropped in 2000.

In 2001, he played a civil engineer in Pandavar Bhoomi, directed by Cheran. This was the first movie in which Arun and his father Vijayakumar acted together. This movie won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film (Second Prize) in 2001.

2002–2012

Arun's next film was Mutham (2002). It was initially titled Muthamidalamma, but was changed after the censor screening. It was directed by S.A. Chandrasekhar and was the first film to be shot using digital cinematography in Tamil cinema. Arun had a special appearance in Iyarkai (2003), which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil.

He acted in director Ramesh Selvan's Jananam (2004). The film's actress Priyanka Trivedi could not fulfill her scheduled commitments in the film, as she got married in 2003. Critics appreciated Arun Vijay's acting in the movie. In 2006, he has given a matured performance in Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu. His next projects was Thavam (2007) and Vedha (2008).

The first venture, Malai Malai (2009), directed by A. Venkatesh, became a commercial success. The next, Maanja Velu (2010), by the same team, was also a success. Arun Vijay appeared in Magizh Thirumeni's action-thriller Thadaiyara Thaakka (2012), marking a move away from his previous two Masala films.

2015–present

He starred in Yennai Arindhaal (2015) with actor Ajith Kumar. This was his first film with director Gautham Vasudev Menon. Arun played the role of Victor, an antagonist.

On September 1, 2015, He launched his own production company called In Cinemas Entertainment (ICE). He said that he launched the company to identify and provide an opportunity to ambitious and talented youngsters.

The same year, he debuted in Telugu in the film Bruce Lee - The Fighter (2015) as the lead antagonist. He also made his Kannada debut as the lead antagonist in the movie Chakravyuha in 2016. His next, Kuttram 23 (2017), returning to lead roles, was a success at the box office. His next movie was Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (2018), which was directed by Mani Ratnam with an ensemble cast.

In 2019, he acted in Thadam, an action crime thriller. He played his first double role in this film. This was also the second film in which he and Magizh Thirumeni worked together, after Thadaiyara Thaakka. The film was loosely based on various real-life crimes where the suspects are identical twins. Thadams biggest strength was Arun's convincing performance as Kavin and Ezhil. In the action thriller film Saaho, Prabhas was the hero while Arun played a supporting role. In 2020, he appeared in action crime thriller Mafia: Chapter 1 that was directed by Karthick Naren. In the film, Arun Vijay played a narcotics police officer on a mission to hunt down a drug mafia kingpin.

In 2022, he appeared in the Amazon Prime Video film Oh My Dog. The cast included Arun Vijay, his father Vijayakumar, and his son Arnav Vijay. The next was Yaanai an action drama film written and directed by Hari. The next was released a Web Series Tamil Rockerz and later Sinam an investigative whodunit thriller in which Arun Vijay plays a cop. In 2024, A. L. Vijay's Mission: Chapter 1 was released in theatres on January 12. Arun Vijay will be seen in Bala's Vanangaan (2025) next. He did not perform as well as expected at the box office. He played the antagonist in Idli Kadai (2025), and his role in Dhanush's directorial received great praise from fans and critics. Followed by the action thriller film Retta Thala (2025) where Arun Vijay plays dual roles.

Personal life

In 2006, Arun Vijay married Aarathi, daughter of film producer Dr. N. S. Mohan with whom he has a daughter, Purvi and a son, Arnav Vijay. In 2010, Arun Vijay's eldest sister Kavitha's daughter Hasini married N. S. Mohan's son Hemanth, who is a co-producer of Feather Touch Entertainments and also acted alongside Arun Vijay in Malai Malai. Arun Vijay's Hometown is Pattukkottai in Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu. |access-date=2025-12-01

Filmography

Films

• Note: He was credited as Arunkumar (sometimes Arun) from 1995 to 2006. He was credited as Arun Vijay from 2007 onwards. All films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.

Web series

As dubbing artist

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. Aiyappan, Ashameera. (1 October 2018). "It's my time now: Arun Vijay".
2. (5 May 2006). "His career makes a steady progress – TAMIL NADU". [[The Hindu]].
3. "Recap on Arun Vijay".
4. "Arun Kumar - Name change seems to be working".
5. "I'll prove one day: Arun Vijay".
6. (5 May 2006). "Arun vijay's interest towards acting". [[The Hindu]].
7. (19 April 2002). "Anbudan-Cautious moves". [[The Hindu]].
8. (15 May 2001). "Hot News Just for U".
9. "Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, India".
10. (2 May 2014). "A digital take". [[The Hindu]].
11. (14 March 2021). "National Award-winning director SP Jananathan passes away".
12. (16 Dec 2003). "Upendra wedding comes as a shocker!". [[Times of India]].
13. (24 December 2004). "Film review: Jananam". [[The Hindu]].
14. "Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu Review".
15. (9 January 2015). "Thadaiyara Thaakka, a new dimension". [[The Hindu]].
16. (9 January 2015). "How Ajith helped Arun Vijay get in shape". [[The Hindu]].
17. "Arun Vijay, now a producer too!".
18. (1 September 2015). "Arun Vijay, now a producer too".
19. "Arun Vijay makes his Kannada debut with Chakravayuha". DNA India.
20. "Sandalwood debut is at the right time - Arun Vijay". Times of India.
21. "Kuttram 23 Review {3.5/5}: The film is immensely satisfying as a thriller from start to finish". The Times of India.
22. "Arun Vijay in a dual role".
23. "Thadam review: An engaging whodunit thriller".
24. Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi. (30 August 2019). "'Saaho' review: Prabhas' latest is a missed opportunity". The Hindu.
25. (18 December 2020). "Arun Vijay teams up with Director Hari for next film".
26. "Arun Vijay shares his emotional journey of working with his father, son, and pet in ‘Oh My Dog’". The Hindu.
27. "Tamilrockerz Web Series Review: A great opportunity frittered". Cinema Express.
28. "Sinam Movie Review: Sinam is a decent emotional drama, but doesn't leave you fully satisfied". The Times of India.
29. "hArun Vijay's 'Mission Chapter 1' gears up for its OTT premiere!". The Times of India.
30. "Arun Vijay on Vanangaan's box office failure: 'Release timing also matters'". The Times of India.
31. "Arun Vijay on ‘Vanangaan’ failure, praises Bala, stresses team effort in film's commercial hit". The Times of India.
32. "'Retta Thala' OTT release: When and where to watch Arun Vijay's thriller online". The Times of India.
33. "Arun Vijay's father-in-law passes away; Actor's wife shares an emotional note".
34. (24 August 2010). "A family affair for Vijay Kumar".
35. "Arun Vijay meets his fans at his native village".
36. "Murai Mapillai".
37. "Anbudan".
38. "rediff.com, Movies: The Pandavar Bhoomi review".
39. "Mutham".
40. "Iyarkai".
41. "Jananam".
42. "Azhagai Irukirai... Bayamai Irukiradhu".
43. Sundaram, Nandhu. (5 October 2007). "Thavam, insipid".
44. "Review: Vedha".
45. "Movie Review:Malai Malai".
46. "THUNICHAL MOVIE REVIEW". Behindwoods.
47. "Movie Review:Maanja Velu".
48. "Thadaiyara Thaakka Movie Review {2.5/5}".
49. "Arun Vijay's 'Vaa Deal' first look revealed". [[The Times of India]].
50. [http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/yennai-arindhaal-human-drama-beneath-policemans-story/99/ "'Yennai Arindhaal': Human drama beneath policeman's story"] {{Webarchive. link. (6 February 2015 . ''The Indian Express''. 6 February 2015.)
51. "Bruce Lee- The Fighter".
52. "Movie Review: Chakravyuha". [[Bangalore Mirror]].
53. (3 March 2017). "Kuttram 23 movie review: Vijay stars in a wonderfully taut Sherlockian mystery".
54. (25 September 2018). "Chekka Chivantha Vaanam star Arun Vijay on his character Thyagu and working with Mani Ratnam".
55. (March 2019). "Thadam movie review: A thriller that doesn't disappoint".
56. (17 August 2019). "Saaho is my first trilingual film: Arun Vijay".
57. (21 February 2020). "'Mafia: Chapter 1' movie review: A wonderfully ordinary movie with a great presentation by Karthick Naren". The Hindu.
58. (2022-04-21). "Oh My Dog movie review: A heartwarming, likeable drama about a boy and his dog".
59. (9 September 2021). "Arun Vijay's AV33 with director Hari titled Yaanai".
60. (23 August 2022). "அருண் விஜய்யின் சினம் வெளியீட்டு தேதி அறிவிப்பு!".
61. "Agni Siragugal (TBA)". Movie Buff.
62. "Borrder". The Times of India.
63. "Arun Vijay's Achcham Enbadhu Illayae shooting wrapped up".
64. Kumar, Akshay. (2024-12-04). "Arun Vijay's Vanangaan gets a release date".
65. (2 December 2024). "Arun Vijay receives a career-high salary for his role in Dhanush's 'Idli Kadai'". [[The Times of India]].
66. (2024-10-20). "Arun Vijay's 'Retta Thala' shooting wrapped up". The Times of India.
67. (23 June 2022). "Tamil Rockerz OTT Release Date, Star Cast, Plot, Trailer & More".
68. (26 December 2022). "Aladdin 2019 / Tamil cast - CHARGUIGOU".