Actor Ajith Kumar who made his debut in Tamil cinema with the film 'Amaravathi' and later earned the title of 'Thala', is celebrating his 52nd birthday on May 1. He has had an illustrious career, spanning over three decades, and is still one of the undisputed superstars of Kollywood. On his birthday, we take a look at a few of his most remarkable works.
Aasai (1995)
He had appeared in a few films earlier, but 'Aasai' directed by Vasanth was considered his first major break in the industry. He won a lot of appreciation for his role as Jeeva, a romantic hero. Actor Vasanth once said that he decided to cast Ajith in the role because he was looking for another Arvind Swami and he felt that Ajith fit the bill. “He had a pleasing personality, was handsome and had acting skills,” the director had said then.
Kadhal Mannan (1998)
This Ajith-starrer was directed by Saran, who was a debutant then. The film became a blockbuster for it's interesting theme. Ajith played a young mechanic in the film, who was both daring and charming hero. The film ran in theatres for 100 days and helped revive Ajith's career as some of his films during that period bombed at the box office.
Vaalee (1999)
Ajith played dual roles in this film, which is considered as a pscyhological romantic thriller. He played both the antagonist Deva, a hearing and speech impaired person and the protagonist Shiva. His ability to essay both the characters with conviction won him rave reviews from critics and audience alike.
'Dheena'
Ajith earned the title 'Thala' or leader after this action film, which was directed by A R Murgadoss. The rowdy with a good heart and the action sequences made him an undisputed star. Though fans continued to use the title for several years, the actor himself made it clear that he did not want to be referred to as 'Thala' anymore to avoid the 'needless arguments over the title'.
Billa (2007)
The film directed by Vishnuvardhan was the remake of the Hindi film titled 'Don'. It was selected to play at the Cannes Film Festival in the same year. The movie was a defining moment in Ajith's career as it was considered to be one of the most stylish films to release in South India then. Even in Billa, the actor played dual roles. The action sequences, Ajith's portrayal of an underworld don and the BGM of the film, were massive hits.
Mankatha (2011)
Ajith's bad boy image was well-liked in this movie, which went on to become one of the biggest hits and commercial successes in Ajith's career. The heist and the action sequence displayed out Ajith's matchless talent as an action hero in this film. Ajith's 2023 film 'Thunivu' had some resemblance to this 2011 movie.
