Memorable Milestones in 'Thala' Ajith's career

For the rest of the world May 1 is the Laborer’s day but for Ajith Fans it is their Thala's birthday which they celebrate bigger and merrier than their household functions. On this special occasion IndiaGlitz wishes Ajith Kumar a Happy Birthday. As a birthday tribute to the darling of the masses who has made it to the top with sheer determination, hard work and simplicity, we recall the milestones in his illustrious career that spans across 25 years.

Maiden Appearance

Ajith kumar made his first film appearance in the 1990 film 'En Veedu En Kanavar'. He played a minor, uncredited role as a school student in that film starring Suresh and Nadhiya.

First Film as a Hero

Ajith's first film as the lead hero is the Telugu film 'Prema Pusthakam'. This also happens to be Ajith's only direct Telugu film till date.

First in Tamil

‘Amaravathi’ directed by Selva is the first Tamil film with Ajith as the hero. Though the film was launched after ‘Prema Pusthakam’, it preceded the release of the Telugu film by over a month. Hence ‘Amaravathi’ was also the first film of Ajith as hero to hit the screens. The film was an average grosser.

First Super hit

Ajith teamed up with director Vasanth who has carved a niche for himself as a classic filmmaker. The film 'Aasai' which released in 1995 turned out to be the first super hit film of Ajith and also established him as a bankable hero. This also happens to be the first and only association of Ajith with director Mani Ratnam’s Production Company. Initially Ajith shot for ‘Nerukku Ner’ again produced by Mani Ratnam and directed by Vasanth but later opted out of the film.

First National award winning film

‘Kadhal Kottai’ released in 1996 and turned out to be a mega blockbuster crossing 215 days of run in theaters. The Agathiyan directorial is one of the highly celebrated films of the decade and also considered as a classic among romance films. The film also won not one but three National awards for The Best Tamil Film. Best Director and Best Story.

Two roles and Three reasons

‘Vaali’ is a milestone in Ajith’s career for not one but three reasons. This film directed by S.J.Suryah is Ajith’s first dual role flick, the first film in which he portrayed a completely negative character and also the first film to fetch him the Filmfare Award for the Best actor. His performance as a deaf and mute guy lusting his twin brother’s wife remains one of his best performances till date. Ajith would go on to perform dual roles in later films of his career such as ‘Villain’, ‘Attagasam’, ‘Billa’ and ‘Asal’. He also played negative roles in films like ‘Asoka’ (Hindi), ‘Varalaaru’, ‘Billa’, ‘Mankatha’ and ‘Billa 2’. He has won Filmfare award for ‘Villain’ and ‘Varalaaru’.

Finding his soulmate at 25th

‘Amarkkalam’ is the 25th film of Ajith as an actor. The film’s super hit success established him as a action hero. Ajith fell in love with Shalini his co-star in the film. He proposed to her during the shoot of the film and now they are a happy and most inspiring celebrity couple with two cute children.

The magnificent Moniker

‘Dheena’ which marked the debut of director A.R.Murugadoss is a blockbuster that stabilized Ajith’s star power after a lull period. The film is also most memorable for Ajith fans as it is the one that gave him the moniker ‘Thala’ that is still used by all fans to refer to him with utmost love and respect.

Beyond the Vindhyas

It is said that the Vindhya hills separate the North and South parts of India. Ajith transcended across the Vindhyas for the first time to act in the Bollywood film ‘Asoka’ directed by Sanosh Sivan. Despite being a huge star in Tamil, he did not have any qualms to play a negative role in the film that had Shah Rukh Khan as the main lead.

Bouncing back with a Triple storm

‘Varalaaru’ is the first film in which Ajith carried off the challenge of playing triple roles with sheer aplomb. He is the first to do this among his lot of his contemporaries. His performance as an effeminate person and a Bharathanatyam dancer is easily the most challenging roles he has performed on screen and he gave his best and made the film memorable. The film’s blockbuster success came at a time when Ajith was almost written off from the star ladder due to a series of flops, unexpected delays between films and injuries.

Replacing Rajini

It came as a big surprise that Ajith will be acting in a remake that too of a yesteryear Tamil blockbuster starring Superstar Rajinikanth. More surprising is that Ajith himself preferred to act in the remake. The film is ‘Billa’ which released in 2007 as a highly stylized version of the 1980 film which was big milestone in Superstar Rajinikanth’s career. The remake directed by Vishnuvaradhan also paved way for the most suave version of Ajith wearing stylish coat suits and coolers which became is style statement for years to come.

Tryst with the pen

It will be a big surprise to the fans of the current generation but it is true. Ajith co-wrote the script and dialogues of his 2010 film ‘Aasal’. The film however bombed at the box office.

The Lovable villain

Completing 50 films as a lead actor is one of the biggest milestones in any actor's career. Ajith opted to play a unabashed negative hero character in this landmark film and played. He also decided to appear with his real hair color, which itself turned to be a style statement and inspired many other actors across the industry as the 'Salt & Pepper' looks. Needless to say the film also turned out to be a huge blockbuster and it is also the favourite Ajith flick of fans of Ajith’s rival stars.

First ever in Tamil cinema

Ajith got the honour of playing the lead role in the first ever prequel made in Tamil cinema. 'Billa II' is the story of how David Billa became a dreadful don. The film directed by Chakri Toleti was as stylish as Vishnuvardhan's 'Billa' but failed to make the right noises at the box office like the latter. Nevertheless the film remains a favourite of many Ajith fans and also a section of general audience.

For the rest of the world May 1 is the Laborer’s day but for Ajith Fans it is their Thala's birthday which they celebrate bigger and merrier than their household functions.