114-509: Prashanth Thiagarajan (born 6 April 1973), known professionally as Prashanth , is an Indian actor, businessman, playback singer and film producer known for his works predominantly in Tamil cinema . Besides Tamil films, he has also appeared in few Telugu , Hindi and Malayalam films. At the peak of his career in the late 1990s, Prashanth was one of the popular actors in South India . He has won
228-573: A Kalaimamani Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu . The son of actor-director Thiagarajan , Prashanth began his career at age 17 with the Tamil film Vaigasi Poranthachu (1990) and went on to feature in other films including Balu Mahendra 's Vanna Vanna Pookkal (1992), R. K. Selvamani 's Chembaruthi (1992) and Mani Ratnam 's Thiruda Thiruda (1993). Prashanth rose to stardom with Shankar 's romantic comedy Jeans (1998) in which he played
342-937: A town or village to screen the films. The first of its kind was established in Madras , called "Edison's Grand Cinemamegaphone". This was due to the fact that electric carbons were used for motion picture projectors. Most of the films screened then were shorts made in the United States and Britain . In 1909, an Englishman, T. H. Huffton, founded Peninsular Film Services in Madras and produced some short films for local audiences. But soon, hour-long films, which narrated dramatic stories, then known as " drama films ", were imported. From 1912 onwards, feature films made in Bombay (now Mumbai ) were also screened in Madras. The era of short films had ended. The arrival of drama films firmly established cinema as
456-474: A 12-floor jewellery store in T Nagar , Chennai in 2008. In early 2007, Thiagarajan approached Karunanidhi with the intention of making a film on his adaptation of the Ponnar Shankar epic that he had written in the late 1970s. The latter accepted Thiagarajan's offer and approved of his decision to cast Prashanth in the dual lead roles. The film's grand production and shoot continued for over three years, and
570-453: A classical Bharatanatyam dancer. It became the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2006, and earned him another Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. The following year he starred in two remakes— Kireedam (2007) and Billa (2007), both of which earned him critical acclaim. Ajith played an antagonist in his 50th film Mankatha (2011), which became one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time. His next release, Billa II (2012),
684-582: A decent market. Tamil films have enjoyed consistent popularity among populations in South East Asia . Since Chandralekha , Muthu was the second Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese (as Mutu: Odoru Maharaja ) and grossed a record $ 1.6 million in 1998. In 2010, Enthiran grossed a record $ 4 million in North America. Many Tamil-language films have premiered or have been selected as special presentations at various film festivals across
798-423: A delayed release but was a success. He followed this with Star , Chocolate and Majunu . Prashanth then collaborated with director Hari , making his debut, for the action drama film, Thamizh (2002). For this role, Prashanth worked out a lot, grew a beard and began smoking cigarettes to get into character. The film gained positive reviews upon release, with a critic noting the "Prashanth has matured into
912-433: A delayed release in 2002, and won positive reviews from critics. For his role of a firefighter, Prashanth undertook official training, and reviewers described his portrayal as "top class". Sundar C 's Winner (2003) also won appreciation for its comedy track by Vadivelu , and performed well at the box office. In a sudden change of strategy, Prashanth chose to focus on acting in films produced by his father Thiagarajan for
1026-435: A dual role alongside Aishwarya Rai . The success of Jeans saw him garner opportunities to work in bigger film projects and in the late 1990s, he featured in a series of breakthrough films such as Kannedhirey Thondrinal (1998), Kaadhal Kavithai (1998), Jodi (1999) and Parthen Rasithen (2000). After a prolonged career setback, he made a comeback with Andhagan and The Greatest of All Time (2024) Prashanth
1140-445: A dual role for the first time in his career, became one of his biggest hits at that time. The film told the story of a deaf-mute brother setting his eyes on his younger brother's wife, with Ajith's portrayal of the two brothers winning him his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. Furthermore, Ajith's portrayal of the brothers was also praised, with critics claiming that the film was an "instant classic", with Ajith showing that he
1254-560: A dual role, one of a notorious don whilst the other played an ordinary person who had to act as the don, following the former's death. Billa also earned him his sixth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. After Billa , Ajith appeared in the film, Ayngaran International 's production Aegan , directed by choreographer Raju Sundaram . The film, a remake of the 2004 Hindi comedy Main Hoon Na , received mixed reviews and
SECTION 10
#17329023467571368-544: A dual role, with a song "Thala Deepavali", penned to promote his action image. In 2005, the failure of the Linguswamy film Ji , despite garnering positive reviews and taking a strong opening, saw Ajith take a sabbatical from acting to re-work his image. Of the five films released between 2003 and 2005, his only box office hit was Attagasam . During 2006, Ajith returned from his hiatus by appearing in P. Vasu 's Paramasivan for which he had lost twenty kilograms to portray
1482-518: A few months. Once it was demonstrated as a commercial proposition, a Western entrepreneur, Warwick Major, built the first cinema theatre , the Electric Theatre, which still stands. It was a favourite haunt of the British community in Madras. The theatre was shut down after a few years. This building is now part of a post office complex on Anna Salai ( Mount Road ). The Lyric Theatre was also built in
1596-403: A full-length negative role as Vinayak Mahadevan, a suspended police officer with a lust for money. His performance and his decision to portray a character with negative shade, breaking the stereotype hero image in Tamil cinema, were lauded by critics, with reviewers from Sify and Rediff terming the film as an "out and out Ajith film" that worked "only because of Ajith". Heaping praise on
1710-428: A gangster in the process, with Ajith's depiction of his rogue character appreciated by critics. His first film of the new millenium, Mugavaree , won him commercial and critical praise. The film revolved around the life of a struggling music composer who faces sacrifices to proceed in his career. The film featured dual endings, one with Ajith succeeding in his career, the other with Ajith dejected. Ajith's performance
1824-635: A global presence, enjoying strong box office collections among Tamil-speaking audiences in Sri Lanka , Malaysia , and Singapore . Tamil films are also distributed throughout the Middle East , Oceania , Europe , North America , parts of Africa , and Japan . The industry also inspired independent filmmaking among Tamil diaspora populations in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, and the West . M. Edwards first screened
1938-420: A grand exhibition was organised in Madras . Its major attraction was the screening of short films accompanied by sound. A British company imported a Crone megaphone , made up of a film projector to which a gramophone with a disc containing prerecorded sound was linked, and both were run in unison, producing picture and sound simultaneously. However, there was no synched dialogue . Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu ,
2052-523: A moderate success. During the shooting of the film, Ajith developed a further spinal injury, a recurrence of his problem earlier in his career. Ajith then starred in Billa , a remake of the 1980 Rajinikanth -starrer of the same name . The Vishnuvardhan -directorial fetched critical praise for Ajith, becoming a trend-setter for stylish art direction and cinematography in India. Billa , yet again, featured Ajith in
2166-466: A multilingual directed by H. M. Reddy was released on 31 October 1931, less than seven months after India's first talking motion picture Alam Ara . Tamil cinema has been noted for its advanced narratives and diverse films, with several productions in the 1990s and early 2000s cutting across ethnic and linguistic barriers. Such films include Roja (1992), Indian (1996), Pokkiri (2007), Enthiran (2010). Tamil cinema has since produced some of
2280-505: A performer of merit" and that "the transformation of a fun-loving, cheerful young man into a thug has been conceived well by director Hari and creditably executed by Prashanth". The film became a box office success despite opening with little publicity, with positive word of mouth significantly helping the film's prospects. The success of the film prompted Prashanth to move away from romantic films and strive to work on more action drama films. His next release, Susi Ganesan 's Virumbugiren had
2394-622: A permanent cinema house in Madras—Gaiety, in 1914, the first cinema house in Madras to be built by an Indian. He soon added two more, Crown Theatre in Mint and Globe (later called Roxy) in Purasawalkam . Swamikannu Vincent, who had built one of the first cinema halls of South India in Coimbatore , introduced the concept of "Tent Cinema" in which a tent was erected on a stretch of open land close to
SECTION 20
#17329023467572508-607: A poor performance commercially. Prashanth also began working on the remake of Andhadhun (2018) in August 2019. After years of production delays, the film, titled Andhagan , released in August 2024 to generally positive reviews, with many branding it as his long-overdue comeback. His next film was director Venkat Prabhu 's The Greatest of All Time , starring Vijay in the lead. On 1 September 2005, Prashanth married V. D. Grahalakshmi and they have one son. The couple divorced three years later. Tamil cinema Tamil cinema
2622-555: A popular entertainment form. More cinema houses came up in the city. Fascinated by this new entertainment form, an automobile dealer in the Thousand Lights area of Madras, R. Nataraja Mudaliyar , decided to venture into film production. After a few days' training in Pune with the cinematographer Stewart Smith, the official cinematographer of Lord Curzon 's 1903 Durbar, he started a film production concern in 1916. The man who truly laid
2736-651: A remake of the Hindi film Khakee and the film received coverage from the media after producers had approached Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai for key roles, however the film failed to progress. Prashanth next signed on to appear in Susi Ganesan 's village action story Sakkarai in October 2004 only for the film to be discontinued after a grand launch ceremony. In mid-2005, the actor began filming for A. Venkatesh 's Petrol and after several leading actresses were approached to play
2850-504: A remake of the Telugu film Julai (2012) during 2013, but the film had a delayed release in February 2016. Throughout the production, the film went through several changes in cast and crew and opened to mixed reviews, with a critic noting "Prashanth, making a return to the screen after quite a while, gives his best, but we can't help but feel that this required an even younger hero" and "what lets
2964-576: A selection of silent films at the Victoria Public Hall in Madras in 1897 during the British Raj . The selected films all featured non-fictional subjects; they were mostly photographed records of day-to-day events. The film scholar Stephen Hughes points out that within a few years there were regular ticketed shows in a hall in Pophams Broadway, started by one Mrs. Klug, but this lasted only for
3078-541: A sequel to his 2007 film Billa , which released on 13 July 2012. Reviewers appreciated Ajith's on-screen presence and stunts but blamed him for the choice of story and the director. Eventually, the film performed poorly at the box office. He starred in Vishnuvardhan 's Arrambam , alongside Arya , Nayantara and Taapsee Pannu , which was released on 31 October, and earned positive reviews from both critics and audience. Arrambam earned him his eighth nomination for
3192-596: A similar role to his previous film, Ajith played a struggling film director facing an oscillating relationship with Tabu, with the pair being unanimously praised for their roles. After giving six straight hits in 1999, and having had Mugavaree and Kandukondain Kandukondain in 2000 as successes, Ajith had an unsuccessful film, Unnai Kodu Ennai Tharuven , co-starring Simran. In 2001, Ajith appeared in three commercially successful Tamil films. Dheena co-starring Laila and Suresh Gopi , released at Pongal and marked
3306-496: A small role in the 1990 Tamil romantic drama En Veedu En Kanavar . After his success in Rajavin Parvaiyile , his first major breakthrough was Aasai (1995), Ajith established himself as a romantic hero with Kadhal Kottai (1996), Kaadhal Mannan (1998) and Aval Varuvala (1998), and established himself as an action hero starting with the film Amarkalam (1999). Ajith's dual portrayal of twin brothers—where one
3420-460: A standard deviation of ±10 lakh tickets during 2011–16. The Chennai film industry produced the first nationally distributed film across India in 1948 with Chandralekha . They have one of the widest overseas distribution, with large audience turnout from the Tamil diaspora . They are distributed to various parts of Asia, Africa, Western Europe, North America and Oceania. Many successful Tamil films have been remade by other film industries. It
3534-478: A stellar performance of Prashanth as Lakshmi. In 1996, he co-starred with Ajith Kumar in Kalloori Vaasal . The film opened on 18 February 1996 to negative reviews. Krishna (1996) and Mannava (1997) are also two medium success films. In 1998, Prashanth appeared in dual roles in S. Shankar 's film, Jeans . It was quite the commercial enterprise. It featured Miss World 1994 winner Aishwarya Rai as
Prashanth - Misplaced Pages Continue
3648-572: A studio, the first in south India, was set up in Madras at 10 Millers Road, Kilpauk. He called it the India Film Company. Rangavadivelu, an actor from Suguna Vilasa Sabha, a theatre company then, was hired to train the actors. Thirty-five days later, the first feature film made in south India, The Extermination of Keechakan / Keechakavatham , based on an episode from the Mahabharata , was released produced and directed by R. Nataraja, who established
3762-682: A successful photographer , took over the equipment after the exhibition and set up a tent cinema near the Madras High Court . With this equipment, he screened the short films Pearl Fish and Raja's Casket in the Victoria Public Hall. When this proved successful, he screened the films in a tent set up in Esplanade. These tent events were the true precursors of the cinema shows. Naidu travelled with this unit to Burma (now Myanmar ) and Sri Lanka , and when he had gathered enough money, he put up
3876-497: A successful comeback by the release of his long-delayed action drama Varalaru , which went on to become his third biggest success after Vaali and Villain . The K. S. Ravikumar film co-starring Asin and Kanika , portrayed Ajith in a triple role with one of them being a classical Bharatanatyam dancer, with his portrayal of his three roles being critically praised. Moreover, the film earned Ajith his third Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. In 2007, media reports hinted that
3990-456: Is Sindhi from Kolkata , West Bengal. Ajith was the middle son out of three brothers, the others being Anup Kumar, an investor, and Anil Kumar, an IIT Madras graduate-turned-entrepreneur. Ajith dropped out of Asan Memorial Senior Secondary School during his tenth grade , before he had completed his higher secondary schooling. Through a family friend who worked with the Enfield company, Ajith
4104-469: Is deaf-mute —in S. J. Suryah 's Vaali (1999) won him his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil . He earned critical acclaim for his dual roles in the vigilante film Citizen (2001). He was also praised for his dual role performance in K. S. Ravikumar ’s Villain (2002) where he won his second Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Tamil. In 2006, he starred in K. S. Ravikumar's Varalaru , in which he played three different roles including one of
4218-432: Is a "talented actor". The two following roles in the drama films Anandha Poongatre and Nee Varuvai Ena also brought Ajith plaudits for his portrayals. His 25th and final film before the new millennium was Amarkalam , directed by Saran and featuring Shalini , whom he married shortly after the film. Amarkalam told the story of a neglected child who grew up and failed to show feelings of love and affection, becoming
4332-609: Is also a sports car racer and participated in the MRF Racing series (2010). He became a race car driver , competing in circuits around India in places such as Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. He is one among very few Indians to race in the international arena and in Formula championships. Based on the annual earnings of Indian celebrities, he was included in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list three times. Ajith began his career with
4446-754: Is estimated by the Manorama Yearbook 2000 (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of English in dialogue and songs in Chennai films. It is not uncommon to see movies that feature dialogue studded with English words and phrases, or even whole sentences. Some movies are also simultaneously made in two or three languages (either using subtitles or several soundtracks). Chennai's film composers have popularised their highly unique, syncretic style of film music across
4560-490: Is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language , the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu . It is nicknamed Kollywood , a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam , a neighbourhood in Chennai , and Hollywood . The first Tamil silent film , Keechaka Vadham , was directed by R. Nataraja Mudaliar in 1918. The first Tamil talking feature film , Kalidas ,
4674-738: The Central Board of Film Certification alone were eligible for tax exemption and those with an "A" certificate could not fit into this category. There are three major roles in the Tamil film value chain viz producer, distributor and exhibitor. The distributor purchases theatrical distribution rights from the producer for exhibiting the film in a defined territory. The distributor performs enhanced functions such as: There are three popular approaches to transfer of distribution rights via distribution contracts: There are four popular approaches to transfer of exhibition rights via exhibition contracts: Film studios in Chennai are bound by legislation, such as
Prashanth - Misplaced Pages Continue
4788-412: The Madras audience. The legendary Otraivadai drama theatre had been built in 1872 itself in Mint. Many drama halls had come up in the city where short silent films were screened in the afternoon and plays were enacted in the night. The scene changed in 1934 when Madras got its first sound studio. By this time, all the cinema houses in Madras had been wired for sound. Narayanan, who had been active during
4902-628: The Malayalam film Perumthachan written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair where he played the son of the title character. He also acted in Tholi Muddhu alongside Divya Bharti which was the remake of the Bollywood film Dil . Prashanth focused on Tamil and acted in Thiruda Thiruda (1993) directed by Mani Ratnam and music by A. R. Rahman . Prashanth used to be the chocolate boy of Tamil cinema during
5016-403: The Tamil -language only. This is in accordance with Government Order 72 passed on 22 July 2006. The first film to be released after the new Order was Unakkum Enakkum . The original title had been Something Something Unakkum Ennakkum , a half-English and a half-Tamil title. In July 2011, strict norms on entertainment tax were passed which stated that films which were given a "U" certificate by
5130-483: The film projector and silent films from the Frenchman Du Pont and set up a business as film exhibitor . Soon, he tied up with Pathé , a well-known pioneering film-producing company, and imported projectors . This helped new cinema houses to sprout across the presidency . In later years, he produced talkies and also built a cinema in Coimbatore . To celebrate the event of King George V 's visit in 1909,
5244-417: The "hero has slogged it out – it's only fair the industriousness is rewarded". The film took a good opening at the box office, but it however petered out to do average business commercially and due to its big budget, failed to recover costs. In March 2013, it was reported that the Tamil film Naan would be remade in Hindi with Prashanth in the lead role. Despite a production delay, Thiagarajan confirmed that
5358-426: The "seven wonders of the world", with Rai being referred to as "the eighth wonder", with her beauty being no less than those wonders. It was later dubbed into Hindi and Telugu languages. He acted in two other romantic films that year, namely Kannedhirey Thondrinal and Kaadhal Kavithai . In 1999, he acted in romantic family dramas movies, Poomagal Oorvalam , Jodi , Hello and Aasaiyil Oru Kaditham . At
5472-444: The 1990s and he plays a variation of that stereotype in portraying Azhagu. This is the most adventurous of Mani Ratnam's movies. The film also won National Film Award for Best Special Effects . At the end of the year, he play in the film Kizhakke Varum Paattu (1993). In 1994, he released three films like Rasa Magan , Kanmani and Senthamizh Selvan . These films had an average success. Aanazhagan (1995), his only movie of
5586-511: The 2003 Formula Asia BMW Championships. He raced in the 2010 Formula 2 Championship along with two other Indians, Armaan Ebrahim and Parthiva Sureshwaren . After a one-off race during the Formula Maruti Indian Championships in 2002, where he finished in fourth place, Ajith signed a contract with manager Akbar Ebrahim, confirming his participation in the inaugural Formula BMW Asia championship. Despite spinning out in
5700-835: The Cinematography Film Rules of 1948, the Cinematography Act of 1952, and the Copyright Act of 1957. In Tamil Nadu , cinema ticket prices are regulated by the government . Single screen theatres may charge a maximum of ₹ 50, while theatres with more than three screens may charge a maximum of ₹ 120 per ticket. Ajith Kumar Ajith Kumar (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema . To date, he has starred in over 61 films, and won four Vijay Awards , three Cinema Express Awards , three Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards . In addition to his acting career, Ajith
5814-507: The Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. Ajith worked with Siva again in Vedalam (2015), in which critics praised his performance. His latest project is Vivegam which received mixed-to-negative reviews with critics citing illogical scenes and average screenplay. His next release, Viswasam , was released on Pongal festival of 2019. Ajith later starred in Nerkonda Paarvai , remake of
SECTION 50
#17329023467575928-505: The Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. His next film was Veeram , directed by Siva and co-starring Tamannaah , which was released on Pongal 2014, which also earned positive reviews from critics. Ajith's next film was Yennai Arindhaal , with Gautham Vasudev Menon as director. Ajith's performance as a cop was widely praised with a critic calling it "Ajith's best since Kandukondain Kandukondain ". Both Veeram and Yennai Arindhaal earned him his ninth and tenth nominations for
6042-400: The Hindi film, Pink (2016), which was released in the same year. In 2022, Ajith collaborated with Vinoth, again, for Valimai . It was written and directed by Vinoth. It released on 24 February to mixed reviews from both the critics and audience, alike. The following year in 2023, they collaborated again for the bank heist thriller, Thunivu . It was produced by Boney Kapoor and it
6156-503: The India Film Company Limited. Despite a century of increasing box office takings, Tamil cinema remains informal. Nevertheless, there are few exceptions like Modern Theatres, Gemini Studios , AVM and Sri Thenandal Films that survived beyond 100 productions. In 2017, opposing the dual taxation of GST (28%) and entertainment tax (30%), Tamilnadu Theatre Owners Association announced indefinite closure of all cinemas in
6270-569: The Middle East as well as marking the debut of music composer G. V. Prakash Kumar ; though the film was later shelved. His father's production Kattan with director Suresh also never took off despite an official announcement. The actor's other projects during the period which were announced but never made included Raghuraj 's Jockey , Mukil's Arun Weds Harini and Cheyyar Ravi 's Vithagan . The actor's three films which released in 2006 had all been severely delayed during production and neither of
6384-601: The Mount Road area. This venue boasted a variety of events, including plays in English, Western classical music concerts, and ballroom dances . Silent films were also screened as an additional attraction. Swamikannu Vincent , a railway draftsman from Tiruchirapalli , became a travelling exhibitor in 1905. He showed short movies in a tent in Esplanade , near the present Parry's Corner, using carbide jet-burners for projection. He bought
6498-399: The actor would do a project with Shankar . Ajith's first release in 2007, Aalwar , became a debacle at the box office, with his previous film still continuing to run in theatres even after Aalwar had stopped its brief theatrical run. Kireedam , a remake of the 1989 National Award -winning Malayalam film of the same name, was released to positive reviews, with the film also becoming
6612-492: The actor's performance, the former noted that he "rocks as the man with ice in his veins as the mean and diabolic cop" and that he played "the emotionless bad man, to perfection", while the latter wrote that practically "he carried the whole film on his capable shoulders". Mankatha emerged as a commercial success and earned him his seventh nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. Ajith then starred in Billa II ,
6726-462: The appearance to become an actor. Ajith began his acting career through a one-scene appearance as a school child in En Veedu En Kanavar (1990). Through the recommendation of S. P. Balasubrahmanyam , whose son was a classmate of Ajith, he was cast in his first lead role in the Telugu romantic drama Prema Pusthakam (1993), which remains his only Telugu film to date. However, the shoot of
6840-468: The beginning of a new image of Ajith as an action hero who would appeal to the masses. He earned the nickname, "Thala" (Leader), from this film. In the same year, he was offered a role in Nandha , which he rejected and was later replaced by Suriya , the eldest son of actor Sivakumar . His next was the much-hyped thriller Citizen , portraying him in ten different get-ups and it became a commercial success at
6954-476: The box office and established Ajith as an upcoming actor in the Tamil film industry . Aasai also earned him his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil . He later played a college student in Kalloori Vaasal , co-starring Prashanth and Pooja Bhatt . Ajith's second successful film came in the form of National Award winning Kadhal Kottai , in which Ajith reunited with Agathiyan,
SECTION 60
#17329023467577068-630: The box office. A role in the family drama Poovellam Un Vasam followed opposite Jyothika and was a critical and commercial success, earning him the Tamil Nadu State Film Special Award and his third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. The year ended off with a brief appearance in Santosh Sivan 's Hindi project Asoka , in which Ajith played as one of the antagonist against Shah Rukh Khan , which did not perform well. In 2002, Ajith appeared in three films,
7182-543: The constructed nature of their work so that the realistic narrative was wholly dominant, Indian filmmakers made no attempt to conceal the fact that what was shown on the screen was a creation, an illusion, a fiction. However, they demonstrated how this creation intersected with people's day-to-day lives in complex ways. By the end of the 1930s, the State of Madras legislature passed the Entertainment Tax Act 1939 . In 1916,
7296-490: The director of the earlier project Vaanmathi. The film paired him opposite Devayani , with Heera Rajgopal playing a supporting role. In 1997, Ajith appeared in five consecutive failures. During the same period, he had entered into the film distribution business and had experienced losses as a result. Describing the period as a "cruel time", Ajith also continued to have chronic back injuries and several of his other film commitments had become delayed. A notable project among
7410-572: The early cinema were the cultural influences of the country. The Tamil -language was the medium in which many plays and stories were written since the ages as early as the Cholas . They were highly stylised and nature of the spectacle was one which could attract the people. Along with this, music and dance were one of the main entertainment sources. There is a strong Indian tradition of narrating mythology, history, fairy tales and so on through song and dance. Whereas Hollywood filmmakers strove to conceal
7524-408: The family's production studio, Lakshmi Shanthi Movies. The action drama Jai (2004) did not perform well at the box office and received mixed reviews. A critic from Sify.com called Jai "tedious" and added that "on the whole Prashanth has to try out something new". Post-release, Prashanth noted that as a producer of the film, the team had tried hard but ran into problems to begin with, lamenting that
7638-432: The film down the most is that it is directed without any feel for the material, so we are unsure if we need to take the film seriously or as a spoof". During 2014 and 2015, he worked on the proposed remake of the Hindi film Special 26 (2013), and despite several press announcements unveiling updates and proposed cast members, the film was later transferred to a different production team . In early 2017, Prashanth worked on
7752-406: The film for the one-man-show of Prashanth, as he is the only silver lining in a film with a confused and confounded plot." His final release of the year was debutant director's Bhuvanaraja's Adaikalam , a family drama which had been completed the previous year, gained positive reviews but the low key nature of the release hampered any chance of a successful box-office run. Featuring no lead heroine,
7866-447: The film had a theatrical release in April 2011. A reviewer from The Hindu noted the film an "alluring canvas", praising the opulent sets, locations, rich costumes and imposing cast, yet noted that it was "too short to negate the many loopholes". Though Prashanth's stunt acts were appreciated, the reviewer pointed out his character flaws, such as minimal expressions which were "barely a smirk" in
7980-468: The film told the tale of an estranged family with Thiagarajan, Saranya and Uma also in the cast and a critic noted that "as a brother and a bitter son, Prashanth has churned out what is arguably one of his better performances till date." Prashanth had no film releases until 2011, but was involved in the production of two heavily delayed films during the period – Ponnar Shankar and Mambattiyan . The actor also invested in business opportunities, opening
8094-429: The film was on hold for eight years due to producer's financial problems, before having a limited release in 2015. Furthermore, Ramesh Selvan 's action film Runway was launched amidst much publicity in April 2006 but was discontinued despite the team filming a schedule with actress Ferhana. Morgan's Taxi Driver alongside Reemma Sen and Namitha was also planned amidst much hype, with the team announcing schedules in
8208-407: The film was stalled soon after production began, following the death of the film's director Gollapudi Srinivas. As a result, his first major theatrical release was the Tamil romantic drama Amaravathi (1993), which Ajith had signed after being recommended to director Selva by Balasubrahmanyam, who had seen parts of Prema Pusthakam prior to its delay. As the film went into post-production, Ajith
8322-552: The film would be made during an interview in December 2018. Moreover, in November 2013, Prashanth announced that he had registered the title Jeans 2 and was completing the pre-production works of a sequel to the 1998 film. The film was set to be directed and produced by Prashanth's father Thiagarajan, who revealed that production would begin in May 2014 and that they were trying to bring members of
8436-620: The films made any notable impact at the box office. Jambhavan , which released in September 2006, had gone through production hassles notably after the lead heroine Nila had a spat with the producers and delayed the film's shoot. The film opened to negative reviews and became a failure commercially. Shiva Shanmugam's Thagapansamy which featured Prashanth in the role of a village do-gooder, with Pooja and Namitha in other pivotal characters. The film opened to below average collections and average reviews from critics, though Sify.com noted to "watch
8550-553: The first Tamil film to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film , the feat was repeated by Kanchivaram in 2007. Tamil films enjoy significant patronage in neighbouring Indian states like Kerala , Karnataka , Andhra Pradesh , Maharashtra , Gujarat and New Delhi . In Kerala and Karnataka the films are directly released in Tamil but in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh they are generally dubbed into Telugu where they have
8664-474: The first lap of his first race, Ajith successfully completed the season by finishing twelfth. After a six-year sabbatical, Ajith signed up for his third season of car racing by participating in the 2010 season of the FIA Formula Two Championship . The decision to be involved in the sport was made after Ajith's film directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon was delayed, allowing him to participate in
8778-522: The first two, Red and Raja being box office disappointments, the former further building up his image as an action hero. The third film Villain , directed by K. S. Ravikumar , portrayed Ajith in a dual role, one as a mentally disabled person and another as a caring brother. The film emerged as a commercial success and earned him his second Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. From 2003 through 2005, Ajith appeared in fewer films due to his career in motor racing becoming more prominent. 2003 saw
8892-541: The five films was Amitabh Bachchan 's Tamil production Ullaasam (1997), in which he was paid a high salary of ₹ 2 million (equivalent to ₹ 11 million or US$ 130,000 in 2023) for the first time. Ajith returned in 1998 with another big, successful project in Saran 's Kaadhal Mannan , an action romantic comedy, setting the foundation for an expanding fan base. He also began acting in Vasanth 's Nerukku Ner , and
9006-401: The forests of Tamil Nadu , Kerala and Karnataka . Prior to the film's release, Thiagarajan considered a possible sequel to the venture, stating he would decide after seeing the audience's response. The film opened to mixed reviews in December 2011, though Prashanth won positive reviews for his portrayal of the tribal man, with a critic from The Hindu noting the actor performed "perfectly" and as
9120-480: The foundations of Tamil cinema was A. Narayanan. After a few years in film distribution, he set up a production company in Madras, the General Pictures Corporation, popularly known as GPC. Beginning with The Faithful Wife / Dharmapathini (1929), GPC made about 24 feature films. GPC functioned as a film school and its alumni included names such as Sundara Rao Nadkarni and Jiten Banerji. The studio of GPC
9234-562: The globe, such as Mani Ratnam 's Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), Vasanthabalan 's Veyyil (2006) and Ameer Sultan 's Paruthiveeran (2007). Kanchivaram (2009) was selected to be premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival . Tamil films have been a part of films submitted by India for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language on eight occasions, next only to Hindi. Mani Ratnam's Nayakan (1987)
9348-462: The initial scenes, and the distinct lack of distinguishable traits between the twin characters he depicted. In September 2008, Thiagarajan announced that he would remake his successful 1983 film Malaiyoor Mambattiyan , with Prashanth portraying the lead role of a Robin Hood -esque figure. The team began filming in early 2009, and Prashanth grew his hair and put on weight for the project and the team shot in
9462-485: The lead actress. The role of the male lead was declined by Abbas and Ajith Kumar , before it ended with the chocolate boy. The film was a modern-day Twelfth Night adaptation. The film has been nominated several awards in the country. The film opened to Indian audiences on 24 April 1998 and was the most expensive film to be made in Indian cinema at that time . One particular song Poovukkul , says Shankar, has been filmed at
9576-450: The lead heroine, newcomer Seema was selected. The film continued to shoot schedules for close to a year across India, but Prashanth's marital problems eventually led to delays in the director's schedule and the film remains uncompleted. In December 2005, Prashanth started work on R. K. Selvamani 's Pulan Visaranai 2 , a sequel to the director's 1990 film, with the film's soundtrack and trailer released by 2006. However, despite completion,
9690-415: The lead role. The film enjoyed a moderate success, scoring over Vijay's Aathi , which also released in the same week, at the box office. Critics from The Hindu stated that Ajith looked "trim and taut" in the film with "only his eyes seeming to have lost some of its sparkle", following the major weight loss. Furthermore, for Paramasivan and his two other projects in 2006, Ajith sported long hair, which
9804-473: The mid-1990s, but ended the relationship in 1998. In 1999, during the shoot of Saran 's Amarkalam , Ajith started dating his co-star Shalini . At that time, their involvement made them a regular subject of tabloid gossip. Despite the fact actor Ramesh Khanna advised Ajith not to marry an actress, Ajith proposed to Shalini in June 1999 and they were married in April 2000 in Chennai. They have two children:
9918-514: The most commercially successful actors, directors and films of Indian cinema. By the end of the 1930s, the legislature of the State of Madras passed the Entertainment Tax Act of 1939. Madras (now Chennai), then became a secondary hub for Hindi cinema , other South Indian film industries, as well as for Sri Lankan cinema . Over the last quarter of the 20th century, Tamil films established
10032-483: The non-profit organisation "Mohini-Mani Foundation", named after his parents, in order to promote self-hygiene and civic consciousness and to help ease the problems of urban sprawl . In 2004, Ajith was signed as Nescafe 's brand ambassador in Tamil Nadu. He has since limited his appearance to the silver screen by not appearing in or promoting any commercials. Ajith is passionate about UAVs and drones . Recently he
10146-479: The original team back for the venture. In January 2014, Ashok Amritraj stated that he was not involved in the sequel and questioned the viability of the project, citing that he did not believe that Prashanth and his father had the rights to make a sequel. In February 2016, Prashanth reaffirmed that the sequel was in development. Prashanth's latest films have been synonymous with remakes, expansive press releases and long production delays. He began making Saagasam ,
10260-686: The peak of his career in the late 1990s, Prashanth appeared in stage events across the world for the Tamil diaspora titled "Prashanth Star Nite". Featuring him alongside actresses and comedians, the show was held in Malaysia, Singapore and then at Wembley Arena in London. In 2000, he acted in Good Luck , Appu , and Parthen Rasithen , with the latter being a commercial success. In 2001, he starred in Piriyadha Varam Vendum directed by Kamal which had
10374-511: The project had been delayed by a year before filming started and thus the script lost its freshness. The horror film Shock , a remake of a Hindi film, was a hit. Other films including the action drama Aayudham (2005) and comedy London (2005), similarly met with a tepid response at the box office. The actor suffered a setback in the mid-2000s, when he went on signing spree only for several of his projects to become shelved after being launched. In September 2004, Thiagarajan launched Police ,
10488-481: The release of his long-delayed Ennai Thalatta Varuvala and the police drama Anjaneya , both failing commercially. In that period, three successful films, namely Saamy , Kaakha Kaakha and Ghajini , were turned away by the actor due to various reasons. His next film, Jana with Sneha , also became a big failure, with the Saran film Attagasam , being his only hit in the period. The film saw Ajith portray
10602-417: The role, Ajith set up a textiles business distributing fabric alongside three other partners. The business venture underperformed prompting Ajith to take up another job in the garments industry. During the period, Ajith also began working on modelling assignments alongside his work. He was notably scouted by P. C. Sreeram during the making of a commercial for Hercules Cycle and Motor Company , who felt he had
10716-574: The silent era, founded Srinivasa Cinetone in which his wife worked as the sound recordist. Srinivasa Kalyanam (1934), directed by Narayanan, was the first sound film (talkie) produced in Madras. The second sound studio to come up in Madras was Vel Pictures, started by M. D. Rajan on Eldams Road in the Dunmore bungalow, which belonged to the Raja of Pithapuram . Before long, more sound studios came up. Thirty-six talkies were made in Madras in 1935. The main impacts of
10830-418: The state from 3 July 2017. The strike has been called off and the cinemas will be playing the movies starting Friday 7 July 2017. Government has formed a committee to decide on the existence of state's 30% entertainment tax. It was reported that, per day business loss during the strike was around ₹ 20 crores. Annual admissions in Chennai multiplexes and single screens averaged 1.1 crore tickets with
10944-459: The thriller film Johnny , a remake of the Hindi film Johnny Gaddaar (2007). The film went through changes in cast before being released in December 2018 to mixed reviews from critics and a below average opening at the box office. A comeback to Telugu films through a supporting role in Vinaya Vidheya Rama (2019) was also unsuccessful, with the film garnering negative reviews and having
11058-521: The whole season. Prior to signing up, he competed in the final round of the MRF racing series in Chennai in February 2010, but failed to finish the race due to mechanical problems. Further trials in Sepang , Malaysia followed suit as he practised for the season's beginning in April 2010 in his Formula Renault V6 car with Eurasian Racing, shedding 11 kilograms during training. Ajith dated actress Heera Rajagopal in
11172-456: The world. Quite often, Tamil movies feature Madras Tamil , a colloquial version of Tamil spoken in Chennai . Keechaka Vadham (1918) was the first silent film made in South India . Kalidas (1931) was the first Tamil talkie film made in 1931. Kalava (1932) was the first full-length talkie made entirely in Tamil. Nandanar (1935) was the first film for American film director Ellis R. Dungan . Balayogini released in 1937
11286-420: The year was directed by Prashanth's father and actor Thiagarajan . The film revolves around Prashanth and his friends who search for a new house after being kicked out from the previous place. Prashanth is forced to dress in the drag after the landlady insists that the house only for a family man and not bachelors. Aanazhagan was very successful at the box-office. The comedy tracks are still remembered today, and
11400-554: Was Tamil cinema's first prequel. Ajith has also been abroad for various races, including Germany and Malaysia . He drove in the 2003 Formula Asia BMW Championships . He raced in the 2010 Formula 2 Championship along with two Indians, Armaan Ebrahim and Parthiva Sureshwaren . Ajith Kumar was born on 1 May 1971. His father, P. Subramaniam (died 2023 ), was born in Thanjavur with roots in Palakkad , Kerala and his mother, Mohini,
11514-444: Was a failure at the box office. Following a year of production, Ajith's Aasal , released in February 2010, taking a grand opening at the box office. The film, which also featured Ajith in a dual role, also failed at the box office despite bigger expectations. After a second foray into motor racing, Ajith signed a film directed by Venkat Prabhu , titled Mankatha , which notably became his 50th project. The film featured him in
11628-455: Was able to get a job as an apprentice and spent six months training to be a mechanic. He later quit the role at the insistence of his father, who wanted Ajith to have a white-collar job , and joined another family friend's garment exporting company as an apprentice. He eventually progressed to become a business developer and regularly travelled throughout the country on sales assignments, improving his English-speaking skills. After resigning from
11742-425: Was also seen in the family drama Pavithra (1994), which featured him as an ailing patient shown maternal affection by Radhika 's character. Ajith's first commercially successful film as a lead actor was the romantic thriller Aasai (1995). The film, directed by Vasanth and produced by Mani Ratnam featured him in the lead role opposite Suvalakshmi , whose brother-in-law lusts for her. It performed well at
11856-626: Was appointed as the test pilot and UAV system advisor by Madras Institute of Technology for Medical Express-2018 UAV Challenge. In November 2023, Ajith started 'Venus Motorcycle Tours', a motorcycle touring agency. Ajith is also a racing driver , competing in circuits around India in places such as Mumbai , Chennai and Delhi. He is one among very few Indians to race in the International arena and in FIA championships. He has also been abroad for various races, including Germany and Malaysia . He drove in
11970-596: Was bed-ridden due to a racing injury while training for an amateur motor race. He underwent three major surgeries resulting in bed rest for one and a half years. As a result, his voice in the film was dubbed by actor Vikram . Following the injury, Ajith was keen to make up for lost time and signed on to play supporting roles. In the following years, he played character roles in the Arvind Swami -starrer Paasamalargal (1994) and Vijay -starrer Rajavin Parvaiyile (1995). He
12084-419: Was being grown for Bala 's project Naan Kadavul , which Ajith eventually opted out of. Similarly, his next film, AVM Productions 's, Thirupathi , directed by Perarasu performed above average business at the box office, despite garnering poor reviews, with Rediff critics citing that the film is "anything but sensible", but that Ajith "salvages the situation with a spirited performance". Ajith summed up
12198-460: Was born on 6 April 1973 in Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu , India. He is the son of Thiagarajan , actor and director in Tamil films, while his maternal grandfather Peketi Sivaram was an actor and a director of Telugu and Kannada films. His maternal cousin is fellow film actor Vikram . He studied Computer Graphics and Multimedia and went to Trinity College of Music in London before embarking on an acting career. He completed his 12th grade and
12312-436: Was considered to be first children's film of South India. It is estimated by the Manorama Yearbook 2000 (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of English in dialogue and songs in Chennai films. In 1991, Marupakkam directed by K.S. Sethu Madhavan , became
12426-467: Was enlisted in two medical colleges. His first intention was to be a doctor, but finally he decided to be an actor, like his father T. Thiagarajan, also producer and film director. Prashanth owns a multi-storeyed jewelry mart in Panagal Park . He is also a trained pianist. Prashanth started off as a leading romantic hero in the 1990 Tamil film Vaigasi Poranthachu at the age of 17. He then appeared in
12540-688: Was housed in the Chellapalli bungalow on Thiruvottiyur High Road in Madras. This company, which produced the most Tamil silent films, had branches in Colombo , Rangoon and Singapore . The Ways of Vishnu / Vishnu Leela , which R. Prakasa made in 1932, was the last silent film produced in Madras. The silent era of south Indian cinema has not been documented well. When the talkies appeared, film producers had to travel to Bombay or Calcutta to make films. Most films of this early period were celluloid versions of well-known stage plays. Company dramas were popular among
12654-545: Was included in Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies list. Average annual film output in Tamil film industry peaked in 1985. The Tamil film market accounts for approximately 0.1% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the state of Tamil Nadu . For the purpose of entertainment taxes, returns have to be filed by the exhibitors weekly (usually each Tuesday). The Government of Tamil Nadu made provisions for an entertainment tax exemption for Tamil films having titles in words from
12768-560: Was later replaced by debutant Suriya . Ajith’s next films Aval Varuvala and Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen also became successes, with the former pairing him with Simran for the first time and the latter featuring him in a guest role alongside Karthik . Except for Uyirodu Uyiraga , which performed poorly, his other three films released in 1998 were box office hits. Ajith started 1999 with Ramesh Khanna's Thodarum and Sundar C's romantic drama Unnaithedi opposite Malavika. S. J. Suryah 's thriller Vaali , which portrayed Ajith in
12882-401: Was the third collaboration of the team consisting of Ajith, Boney Kapoor, H. Vinoth, and Nirav Shah. Ghibran composed the music and background score for the film. In the late 1990s, Ajith began his own film distribution company called Circuit 9000. In 1998, he announced that he would close the business and refrain from producing, distributing or directing films in the future. Ajith created
12996-501: Was yet again praised with critics from Rediff , claiming that "Ajith is the real winner", drawing an allusion with the film's script, whilst adding that "it is amazing to see how Ajith has grown as an actor. He brilliantly portrays the vulnerable and sad Sridhar". He also appeared in A. R. Rahman 's 2000 multi-starrer Kandukondain Kandukondain , directed by Rajiv Menon . The film featured Ajith alongside prominent actors Mammooty and Abbas and actresses Tabu and Aishwarya Rai . In
#756243