Vijay has once again proved that he is numero one in the elite panel of Tamil cinema actors with his exceptional acting faculty in the recent release ‘Sukran.’ Trade mongers are amazed at the youngster’s vast acting competence that is hidden underneath the soft veneer of the nearly silent actor. He should be applauded for his clairvoyance in picking the right projects that have attributed to the string of success the star has encountered. Successive films like ‘Thirumalai,’ ‘Ghilli,’ ‘Madurey,’ ‘Thirupatchi’ and now ‘Sukran’ that has him in an important guest role, have all been super hits thereby proving he is one of the most reliable actor who can retrieve the producer’s cost of production and more. Time and again he has proved his detractors wrong who have periodically written him off after one or two failures.

It amazes everyone to wonder how this inconspicuous gentle guy is able to emit such fire, fury and emotion once the word “take” is called. He passes of as someone who is in the least interested in all the hype and excitement going around him. His slow drawl and nonchalant behavior sometimes have left people near him doubt if they have got his attention after all. But at the word “action” the emotions gush out faster than the tsunami rushing inland when the earth’s plates had their contour altered. More forceful than the Narmada gushing out when the gates of its dam are opened. Such is the power of his performance. And dangerous too….

Dangerous to all his competitors! The man can emote any emotion, be it sentiment, comedy, sarcasm, drama and of course his all time favorite - action. Special mention has to be made about the hilarious scenes in ‘Ghilli,’ a remake from the Telugu original ‘Okkadu’. Remakes generally lose the flavor of the original and rarely create the same magic; but ‘Ghilli’ has detracted from the usual and scores more on several aspects when compared to ‘Okkadu’. With no shred of consciousness, he becomes the character itself. Over the years he has shed the clout of awareness that is a bane to actors. He doesn't act; rather exhibits a realistic portrayal like the scenes in ‘Kushi’ that his fans claim could not have been done by any other artiste with such élan.

Certain scenes in the film ‘Kannukul Kanavu’ where as an amnesia patient he reacts to the attention of Shalini and in ‘Thirupatchi’ where he justifies the need to get her a husband from the city clearly are masterpieces. The dialogues he speaks, even the most emotional and difficult ones, do not seem to be rehearsed and repeated. Instead he sounds like a commoner’s everyday communication with others, not many heroes of today are blessed with this gift. His comfort level with any kind of mood, feeling and reaction has left us pondering if the actor’s versatility has been wasted by his constant endeavors with action roles. It is time he goes past the ‘all time successful formula driven storyline’ and concentrate on roles that will challenge his caliber and potential.

Adulation is pouring on him with both cinema industry, fans, critics and public calling to wish him. It brings cheer to reminisce his early days, when in the mid 90’s he was cast in the film ‘Poove Unakkaga,’ he had to endure the disapproval of distributors and rejection of several top heroines who were sought to act opposite him in that film. But now that he has scaled the peaks of success his films are grabbed at the launch itself and actresses line up to be part of his film. He has gloriously touched the crest of the luminous that so far only a handful have encountered. With winsome youthful looks still intact and eclectic acting potential in him, Vijay’s road to acting is still long and bright. Thanks to his father’s adroit moves while charting his son’s career graph, it is on the rising as like the mercury in our city. Great going Illayathalapathi…