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{{SHORTDESC:Indian actor and politician (born 1974)}}
{{#seo:
|title=Vijay Biography – Indian Actor and Politician
|title_mode=append
|keywords=Vijay, Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, Thalapathy Vijay, Vijay biography, Tamil actor Vijay, Vijay politician
|description=Vijay (born Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar) is an Indian actor and politician known for his work in Tamil cinema and his entry into politics with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
|image=Vijay at the Nadigar Sangam Protest.jpg
|image_alt=Vijay in 2024
}}
{| class="infobox" style="width:22em; font-size:90%; text-align:left; border-spacing:0px; background-color:#f9f9f9; border:1px solid #aaa; float:right; margin-left:1em;"
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; font-size:larger; padding:5px 0;" |'''Vijay''' {{Golden Badge}}
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center; padding:0;" |[[File:Vijay at the Nadigar Sangam Protest.jpg|200x200px]]
|-
| style="width:35%; padding:5px;" |'''Born'''
| style="width:65%; padding:5px;" |Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar<br>22 June 1974<br>Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
|-
| style="padding:5px;" |'''Nationality'''
| style="padding:5px;" |Indian
|-
| style="padding:5px;" |'''Occupation'''
| style="padding:5px;" |Actor, politician
|-
| style="padding:5px;" |'''Years active'''
| style="padding:5px;" |1984–2024 (films)<br>2024–present (politics)
|-
| style="padding:5px;" |'''Political party'''
| style="padding:5px;" |Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam
|-
| style="padding:5px;" |'''Spouse'''
| style="padding:5px;" |Sangeetha Sornalingam (m. 1999)
|-
| style="padding:5px;" |'''Children'''
| style="padding:5px;" |2
|-
| style="padding:5px;" |'''Known for'''
| style="padding:5px;" |Tamil cinema, mass entertainer roles, "Thalapathy"
|}
'''Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar''' (born 22 June 1974), known professionally as '''Vijay''', is an Indian actor and politician who works primarily in Tamil cinema. With a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in 69 films as a lead actor and is regarded as one of the highest-paid actors in India. He is among the most commercially successful actors in Tamil cinema and is popularly referred to as "Thalapathy".<ref>https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/who-is-thalapathy-vijay-the-tvk-patys-founders-life-career-1820008107-1</ref>

== Early Life and Education ==

Vijay was born in Madras, Tamil Nadu, to film director S. A. Chandrasekhar and playback singer Shoba Chandrasekhar. He had a sister, Vidhya, who passed away at a young age. He completed his schooling in Chennai and briefly pursued a degree in visual communication at Loyola College before leaving to focus on acting.<ref>https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vijay-actor</ref>

== Film Career ==

=== 1984–2002: Early career and rise ===

Vijay began his career as a child actor in the film ''Vetri'' (1984). He appeared in several films directed by his father before making his debut as a lead actor in ''Naalaiya Theerpu'' (1992). Although the film was unsuccessful, he gained recognition with ''Senthoorapandi'' (1993).

He went on to establish himself with successful romantic and family-oriented films such as ''Poove Unakkaga'' (1996), ''Love Today'' (1997), ''Kadhalukku Mariyadhai'' (1997), ''Thullatha Manamum Thullum'' (1999), ''Kushi'' (2000), ''Priyamaanavale'' (2000), and ''Friends'' (2001).<ref>https://www.pratidintime.com/entertainment/who-is-thalapathy-vijays-wife-sangeetha-sornalingam-biography-background-net-worth-and-personal-life-11018969</ref>

=== 2003–2011: Transition to action roles ===

Vijay shifted towards action-oriented roles with ''Thirumalai'' (2003) and achieved major commercial success with ''Ghilli'' (2004). Films like ''Thirupaachi'' (2005) and ''Pokkiri'' (2007) further strengthened his status as a leading actor in Tamil cinema.

Despite some fluctuations in box office performance, he maintained popularity with films such as ''Kaavalan'' (2011) and ''Velayudham'' (2011), both of which were commercially successful.

=== 2012–2022: Commercial peak ===

Vijay entered a phase of consistent success with films like ''Thuppakki'' (2012), which became a major box office hit. He continued with successful projects including ''Kaththi'' (2014), ''Theri'' (2016), ''Mersal'' (2017), and ''Sarkar'' (2018).

His films ''Bigil'' (2019), ''Master'' (2021), and ''Beast'' (2022) further cemented his position as a top star, with several of them crossing major box office milestones globally.

=== 2023–2024: Final film phase ===

In 2023, Vijay starred in ''Leo'', which became one of the highest-grossing Indian films of the year. His subsequent film ''The Greatest of All Time'' (2024) also performed strongly at the box office.

In 2024, he announced his retirement from films after completing his final project, ''Jana Nayagan''.<ref>https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/news/vijay-biography-education-career-net-worth-and-founder-of-tvk/ar-AA21uGcp?apiversion=v2&domshim=1&noservercache=1&noservertelemetry=1&batchservertelemetry=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1</ref>

== Political Career ==

In February 2024, Vijay officially entered politics by launching his political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. His entry marked a major transition from cinema to public life. He has since been active in political events and public engagements.

== Personal Life ==

Vijay married Sangeetha Sornalingam in 1999. The couple has two children. He is known for maintaining a relatively private personal life despite his public image.

== Music Career ==

Vijay is also a playback singer and has sung several songs in his films. He made his debut as a singer with the song "Bombay City Sukkha Rotti" in ''Rasigan'' (1994). Some of his popular songs include "Google Google" and "Selfie Pulla".

== Awards and Recognition ==

Vijay has received numerous awards for his performances, including the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor. He was also awarded the Kalaimaamani by the Government of Tamil Nadu. He remains one of the most influential and widely followed actors in South India.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

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[[Category:1974 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian male actors]]
[[Category:Tamil film actors]]
[[Category:Indian politicians]]
[[Category:Indian playback singers]]

[[en:Vijay]]
[[hi:विजय]]