It took him ten long years of struggle to gain his foothold in Tamil cinema through Bala`s Sethu` in 1999 and his performance in the film remains one of the most heartrending in cinema history. Chiyaan as he came to be fondly known after that endeared himself to Tamil audiences as a formidable actor in the same league of Kamal Haasan. The handsome hero did not disappoint as he delivered one power packed performance after another in films like Dhil`, Kasi`, and Pitha Magan`.

In between these films, audiences were delighted by his commercial fares Gemini`, Dhool` and the full masala mass movie of them all Saamy`. Tamil cinema stood up to laud Vikram as a true actor who could equally enthrall as a star. Many called him the only actor who is Kamal and Rajini at the same time. Then in 2005 came Shankar`s Anniyan` which fetched him numerous awards and wide eyed admiration from pan Indian audiences who heartily agreed with Prakash Raj`s "MGR paathiruken, Sivajiya paathiruken, Kamalla paathiruken, Rajiniya paathiruken aanaa unna mathiri oru nadigana paathathillada".

After Anniyan` it was sadly all down hill for Vikram`s career and his innumerable fans watched in agony his bad choices like Majaa`, Kandasamy`, Rajapaatai`, Thandavam` and the recent `10 Enradhukkulla`. Yes there was a Ravanan` and Deivathirumagal` in between but in today`s age of information revolution your hits take you one step forward but your flops push you off the stairs. Even his biggest hit I` is a bad script saved only by his performance and the grandeur. One is given to believe that Chiyaan probably wants to play it safe and is treading on the commercial arena where he thinks his star power can recover the investment.

If that is his thinking all his hits have strong characterization and his inimitable performances in them, yes even Dhool` and Saamy` included. His recent genuine hit Deivathirumagal` is not a commercial film in the conventional sense and it was a decent hit. These statistics suggest that Vikram should go for films which have strong characters for him where he can showcase his talent and completely ignore the commercial no brainers that are an insult to his great caliber. One noticeable fact about him is that he never works with first time directors and always goes for proven ones. This is the age of new wave directors who are ruling the roost in Tamil cinema and even the Emperor Rajinikanth has shed his superstardom and walked into the hands of Pa. Ranjith to give his fans a never before experience.

Kenny as he is known to his friends will turn 50 in 2016 and age is beginning to show and it is high time he works on his looks which is now a major criticism targeted at him. He would also do himself a huge favor to avoid projects that take a long time which create long gaps between his films irking his fans in the process.

Vikram`s well-wishers hope and pray that he moves on to meatier roles and collaborates with younger and fresher minds to give his fans numbering in millions new characters only he has the dedication to bring to life which is the only thing they expect from him and that is exactly what he owes them in return for their undying love.