The word had many critics, fans and the intellectually curious - what does 'Chiyan' mean? It was not until director Bala broke the news at a stage show, that 'Chiyan' stands for 'street-smart rogue'. But even before we learnt the meaning, actor Vikram has been lovingly referred as Chiyan. Versatile actor, numerous Filmfare Awards, National Award for Best Actor, all this to the credit of a single man. But the journey was nowhere near cakewalk. Vikram was introduced to the film industry through 'En Kadhal Kanmani', decades back. But his real breakthrough did not happen until Bala's 'Sethu', and was considered an unlucky actor till then.

Vikram's only film background was his uncle, Thiyagarajan, whose son, Prashanth, later became yet another sensation. During his college days, Vikram met with a fatal accident in which he was near crippled. If he has made it this big, then it is solely out of his sheer determination. After 'Sethu', there was no looking back, with peerless movies like 'Dhill', 'Gemini' and 'Saamy'. Though there were a few commercial slow runners, there was no stopping Vikram from his success stories to unfold more with director Shankar's 'Anniyan'. Known for his versatility, Vikram experiments different looks and challenging roles in each of his movies, including 'Thandavam', 'David' and the award winning 'Deiva Thirumagal'.

Not only is he a big name in Kollywood, but also a well recognized actor in Malayalam and Telugu Film Industries as well. Currently, he is working on Shankar's 'I', which will be a visual extravaganza. Today, the veteran is blowing 47 candles on his cake and we at Indiaglitz wish him all merriment and success. Happy birthday Chiyan!