Thalapathy Vijay used to charge ₹275 crore for a film:Once mocked for looks and voice, about to quit acting and then became a superstar

South superstar Thalapathy Vijay’s story has been one of film success along with struggle, criticism, family disputes, and reaching politics. At the beginning of his career, his looks, voice, and acting were ridiculed. After consecutive flop films, he started thinking about quitting acting. Gradually, he established himself by moving away from the lover boy image to become a family star and then a major mass superstar of Tamil cinema. Political and social messages in films like Ghilli, Thuppakki, and Sarkar created his distinct identity. During this time, a controversy with his father S.A. Chandrasekhar regarding a political organization also remained in the news. Later, Vijay launched Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and now he has become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. In today’s success story, we learn about things related to Thalapathy Vijay’s career and personal life. Thalapathy Vijay’s Childhood and Family Background Counted among the big stars of South cinema, Thalapathy Vijay’s full name is Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar. He was born on 22 June 1974 in Chennai. He comes from a family that has had deep connections with the film industry. His father S.A. Chandrasekhar has been a well-known director of Tamil films, while his mother Shoba Chandrasekhar has been a singer, writer and producer. Due to the filmy atmosphere at home, Vijay has been close to the world of camera and cinema since childhood. However, his childhood was not entirely filled with glamour. His younger sister Vidya passed away at a young age. According to several interviews and Tamil media reports, Vijay became quite quiet and introverted after this incident. Fans believe that he used the name Vidya in many personal projects in memory of his sister. Left Studies Midway, Chose Acting Vijay completed his early education at Fatima Matriculation Higher Secondary School and Balalok Matriculation School in Chennai. After that, he took admission in a Visual Communication course at Loyola College. But during the same period, his involvement in films began to increase. He realized that his entire focus was shifting to acting. For this reason, he left his college studies midway. Vijay does not have any major professional degree, but in later years, many institutions honored him with honorary distinctions. At that time, hardly anyone would have thought that this boy who left his studies incomplete would go on to become a superstar of crores of people. Debut with father’s film, but the beginning was difficult Vijay worked as a child artist in films like Vetri, Kudumbam, Naan Sigappu Manithan, Vasantha Raagam, Sattam Oru Vilaiyaattu and Ithu Engal Neethi. Most of these films were directed by his father S.A. Chandrasekhar. After this, Vijay started his career as a lead actor in 1992 with the film ‘Naalaya Theerpu’. His looks and voice were mocked However, the beginning was very difficult for him. Along with his initial films flopping, Vijay had to face criticism for his looks, voice and acting. Many magazines of that era wrote that he was not hero material. According to Times of India reports, Vijay later said that people used to make fun of his looks and voice. He had made up his mind to quit acting. Vijay’s father S.A. Chandrasekhar admitted in an interview that many people in the industry had questioned his decision to launch him. Vijay was so troubled by the constant criticism that he had decided to quit acting. But his family, especially his father, encouraged him and advised him to continue working hard. Sister’s death changed his nature The death of his sister Vidhya is considered the biggest emotional shock in Vijay’s life. According to people close to the family, Vijay was quite mischievous earlier, but after his sister’s demise, he became more serious. During this period, his inclination towards films and books increased. Many film critics believe that the emotional depth visible in his films has been connected to his personal struggles. Despite early rejections and criticism in the industry, Vijay did not break down. He continuously worked hard on dance, screen presence, body language, and dialogue delivery. This hard work later became his identity. From ‘Lover Boy’ to Family Star Released in 1996, ‘Poove Unakkaga’ proved to be the first major turning point of Vijay’s career. It was the first big blockbuster film of his career. This romantic-drama film made Vijay a big star of Tamil cinema and established his image as a romantic hero. He became popular among family audiences and youth. After this, he did many romantic and family films. Gradually, his image began to form as a lover boy star. During that era, Vijay’s biggest strength was considered to be his simplicity and clean image. Unlike other stars, he didn’t stay in controversies much and had limited interaction with the media. In an old interview with Behindwoods, Vijay had said – ‘I am not a person who talks much.’ This reserved personality later became an important part of his public image. Ghilli and Thuppakki made him a ‘Mass Superstar’ The 2003 film Thirumalai and the 2004 blockbuster Ghilli completely changed Vijay’s image. Now he was no longer just a romantic hero, but became a mass action star. His entry scenes, dance steps and punch dialogues started becoming popular among the youth. After this, films like Thuppakki, Mersal, Master and Leo took his stardom to new heights. The special thing was that Vijay did not respond to criticism with controversies. He changed people’s thinking through his work. Vijay has acted in 68 films so far. His 69th film is ‘Jana Nayakan’. After this film, he retired from acting. This film was supposed to release on January 9, 2026, but got postponed due to censor and other controversies. Some reports have mentioned Vijay’s birthday June 22, 2026 as the possible release date, but the official final date has not been announced. According to Forbes report, he is India’s second highest paid actor. He charges a fee of 130-275 crore rupees for one film. Political messages in films and growing popularity Many of Vijay’s films showed issues related to the system, corruption and politics. The commentary on GST and medical system in Mersal was much discussed, while focus was placed on voting in Sarkar and political corruption. According to BBC News reports, the dialogues and scenes from these films became part of political debates. This strengthened Vijay’s image as a politically aware star. During this time, his fan network ‘Vijay Makkal Iyakkam’ became increasingly active in social activities. Programs like blood donation camps, distributing food to the poor, and education support made Vijay not just an actor, but a social figure. Dispute with father created a stir In 2020, Vijay and his father S.A. Chandrasekhar’s relationship came into the headlines due to a public dispute. Actually, S.A. Chandrasekhar had registered a political organization named ‘All India Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam’. After this, Vijay issued a statement saying that he had no connection with that organization. According to India Today reports, Vijay did not want his political identity to be determined by someone else’s decision. After this incident, news of tension in the father-son relationship started emerging. However, later S.A. Chandrasekhar admitted that there were ups and downs in the relationship, but with time, reconciliation happened between the two. In 2023, both were seen together again. Mother Shobha Chandrasekhar became the biggest support Amidst these family tensions, Vijay’s mother Shobha Chandrasekhar always stood by him. According to India Today’s report, she played a crucial role in bringing about reconciliation between father and son. According to media reports, Vijay is very close to his mother. The news of him building a Sai Baba temple in Chennai for her was quite talked about. Entry into Politics: Launched TVK In February 2024, Vijay launched his political party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, i.e., TVK. According to The Hindu’s report, while launching the party, Vijay had said that politics is people-centric service for him. He said that working against corruption, caste-based politics, and divisive politics would be his goal. According to political analysts, Vijay had been preparing his political ground for a long time. His fan network was already active at the grassroots level, and the victory of supported candidates in the 2021 local body elections demonstrated its strength. Said – Don’t Sell Your Vote for Money In 2023, at an event honoring students and board toppers, one of Vijay’s statements had gone viral. According to The Hindu’s reports, he had told the youth – ‘Don’t sell your vote for money.’ This statement was considered a major indication of his political entry. Vijay used to talk to the youth about first-time voters and clean politics. Analysts believe that he wanted to present himself not just as a star, but as a ‘youth-centric leader’. How did Vijay become CM? After Vijay’s entry into politics, TVK rapidly expanded its support base. Youth, first-time voters, and his strong fan network provided ground-level advantage to the party. During the election campaign, Vijay made corruption, education, unemployment, and clean politics the main issues. TVK achieved great success in the elections and the party reached power in Tamil Nadu. After this, Vijay was unanimously elected as leader in the TVK legislature party meeting. Then he took oath as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. After becoming Chief Minister, Vijay said that the purpose of his politics is to work for the people and he will prioritize the issues of youth and common people. Tamil Nadu’s politics has a long history of film stars. Stars like M. G. Ramachandran, J. Jayalalithaa and N. T. Rama Rao have reached power. Discussions of Marriage, Family and Divorce Vijay married Sangeetha Sornalingam on 25 August 1999. According to reports, Sangeetha was from a UK-based Sri Lankan Tamil family and was previously a big fan of Vijay. The couple has two children – Jason Sanjay (son) and Divya Shasha (daughter). Their son Jason Sanjay is interested in filmmaking and direction. For a long time, Vijay had the image of a family man star, but in 2026, news of divorce regarding his relationship gained momentum. Several media reports claimed that Sangeetha had filed a divorce petition in family court. Some reports mentioned things like extramarital affairs and living separately for a long time. However, these claims were not officially confirmed and there was limited public response from Vijay’s side. There was debate on this issue on social media and Reddit. Some people viewed it in connection with his political image, while many fans supported him. Apart from the news of divorce from his wife, Vijay’s name is also linked to some other controversies.