C. Joseph Vijay

In this Tamil name, there is no surname or family name. The name Chandrasekaran is a patronym, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Joseph Vijay or Vijay.

C. Joseph Vijay
Vijay in 2018
President of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam
Incumbent
Assumed office 2 February 2024 (2024-02-02)
General Secretary	N. Anand
Preceded by	Position established
Personal details
Born	Chandrasekaran Joseph Vijay (1974-06-22) 22 June 1974 Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Political party	Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (2024Template:Nbndpresent)
Spouse(s)	Sankgeetha Sornalingam ​ ( m. 1999; sep.  2026)
Children	2
Parents	S. A. Chandrasekhar (father) Shoba Chandrasekhar (mother)
Relatives	See Chandrasekhar family
Education	Loyola College, Chennai (dropped out)
Occupation	Actor Singer Politician
Awards	Full list

Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar (born 22 June 1974) is an Indian actor and politician. In a career spanning over three decades in Tamil cinema, he acted in 69 films and is amongst the highest paid actors in India. He is one of the most commercially successful actors in the industry with multiple films amongst the list of highest-grossing Tamil films. He has won several awards as an actor. Referred to as "Thalapathy" (transl. Commander), he has a significant fan following.

Vijay made his debut as a child actor in the Tamil film Vetri (1984). After playing as a child actor in few of the films directed by his father, he played his first lead role in the film Naalaiya Theerpu (1992) at the age of 18. He continued doing lead roles for the next few years and notable films amongst them included Poove Unakkaga (1996), Love Today (1997), Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997), Thullatha Manamum Thullum (1999), Kushi (2000), Priyamaanavale (2000) and Friends (2001).

He starred in the commercially successful action films Thirumalai (2003) and Ghilli (2004), transitioning away from romance films. With subsequent successes of Thirupaachi (2005) and Pokkiri (2007), he established himself as one of the leading and commercially successful actors in Tamil cinema. Following a period of moderate success, Vijay acted in several critically and commercially successful films starting from the early 2010s including Thuppakki (2012), Kaththi (2014), Mersal (2017), Sarkar (2018), Master (2021), Beast (2022), Leo (2023), and The Greatest of All Time (2024).

In February 2024, Vijay announced his retirement from films and his entry into politics with the launch of his political party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.

Early life and family

Chandrasekaran Joseph Vijay was born on 22 June 1974 in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu. His father, S. A. Chandrasekhar, is a film director and his mother, Shoba Chandrasekhar, is a playback singer and vocalist. His father is a Christian and his mother is a Hindu. Vijay had a sister, Vidhya, who died when she was two years old. Vijay did his schooling initially at Fathima school, Kodambakkam and later at Balalok school, Virugambakkam. He pursued a bachelor degree in visual communication from Loyola College, but dropped out early to focus on his acting career.

Film career

Main article: Vijay filmography

1984–2002: Debut and transition to lead roles

File:Vijay young (3x4 cropped).jpg

Vijay as a child actor

Vijay made his debut as a child actor in the Tamil film Vetri, produced by P. S. Veerappa in 1984. He then acted as a child actor in films such as Kudumbam (1984), Naan Sigappu Manithan (1985), Vasantha Raagam (1986), Sattam Oru Vilayaattu (1987) and Ithu Engal Neethi (1988) all directed by his father S. A. Chandrasekhar.

Vijay in 1998

Vijay played the lead role for the first time in Naalaiya Theerpu at the age of 18 in 1992. The film failed at the box office, with Vijay receiving bitter criticism for his looks and performance. SAC decided then to cast him alongside an established hero, and his frequent collaborator Vijayakanth agreed to do the project in Senthoorapandi (1993). The film ended up as a hit, helping Vijay get popular among the masses. In 1994, Rasigan ran for more than 175 days in theatres. Directed again by his father, Vijay became popular as “Ilaya Thalapathy” (young commander). In 1995, Chandrashekhar directed Deva with his son in the lead. It was a box office hit and completed the 100-day run in cinema halls. He had leading roles in films such Rajavin Parvaiyile in which he co-starred with actor Ajith Kumar, followed by Vishnu and the romantic drama Chandralekha.

In early 1996, the romantic comedy film Coimbatore Mappillai was a hit at the box office. Followed by Poove Unakkaga, directed by Vikraman, which according to him, gave him his initial break and popularity. His subsequent films that year were Vasantha Vaasal, Maanbumigu Maanavan and Selvaa. In 1997, Vijay appeared in Kaalamellam Kaathiruppen, Love Today and Once More, the latter in which he shared the screen space with veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan. In Nerrukku Ner, he starred with actor Suriya’s marked debut in the industry. Then, Vijay attracted the family audience through Fazil’s Kadhalukku Mariyadhai. This film earned actor Vijay his first Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor. He was awarded Kalaimaamani by the Government of Tamil Nadu for his role. In 1998, he continued in starred in romantic films such as Ninaithen Vandhai, Priyamudan and Nilaave Vaa. In 1999, the film Thullatha Manamum Thullum was a blockbuster success. The romantic drama helped Vijay create a fan base in Kerala. Vijay won the MGR Honorary Award and the movie won the second prize Best Film. The next released was Endrendrum Kadhal, Nenjinile, and Minsara Kanna. In 2000, he appeared in his 25th film, Kannukkul Nilavu, alongside commercially successful romantic films, Kushi and Priyamaanavale. In 2001, he had in hat-trick box office successes; Friends, Badri and Shahjahan before starring in the action film Thamizhan alongside Priyanka Chopra in 2002. Later, he appeared in the romantic film Youth and the action film Bagavathi in the same year.

2003–2011: Established actor

Vijay began 2003 with Vaseegara and Pudhiya Geethai. The success of his masala film Thirumalai changed his on-screen persona into an action hero. Until then the actor was performing in roles that were charming and quite comical. Thirumalai was considered a turning point in Vijay's career. In 2004, after several delays, the film Udhaya was released. Then, Vijay was seen in Ghilli, directed by S. Dharani, alongside Trisha and Prakash Raj. The movie became a commercial success and became the first Tamil film to gross over ₹500 million at the domestic box office and also broke the record for the most people watching the movie within the first week of its release, previously held by M. G. Ramachandran's Adimai Penn (1969). Following the same, he acted in Madhurey. Director Perarasu made his directorial debut with the 2005 film Thirupaachi and he delivered a blockbuster hit with it. Then, Vijay plays an extended cameo as a lawyer in the action film, Sukran. Later, he starred in the commercially successful films Sachein and Sivakasi. He starred in the action thriller Aathi (2006). The film was an average grosser at the box office and it was a 2005 Telugu remake of Athanokkade. In 2007, Pokkiri became one of the highest-grossing films of his career at the time.

Vijay in 2007

In late, Vijay starred in the romantic thriller film Azhagiya Tamil Magan, where he portrayed a dual role for the first time in his career. He played the roles of both protagonist and antagonist. The film was commercially successful outside India. In 2008, the action comedy Kuruvi was released. In 2009, Villu and Vettaikaaran were average successes at domestic box office while continuing to be more successful overseas. Vijay continued to be one of the highest paid actors despite the moderate success of then recently released movies. In 2010, he acted in the action film Sura, which was his 50th film as an actor. Vijay starred in the romantic comedy Kaavalan (2011), directed by Siddique which received positive response and a box office collection of ₹102 crore worldwide. The film was screened at the Shanghai International Film Festival in China. Kaavalan was a commercial success in China. His next film was the action film Velayudham, directed by M. Raja which released during Diwali and became one of the top-grossing films of 2011. The movie was also a critical success overseas.

2012–2022: Commercial success and stardom

Vijay in 2013

In 2012, Vijay was seen the commercially successful Nanban, a remake of successful Hindi film 3 Idiots. Later, he acted in the action thriller Thuppakki, directed by A. R. Murugadoss. The film became the third Tamil film to gross more than ₹100 crore domestically and became the most successful film of Vijay's career at the time, grossing over ₹121 crore. His next film Thalaivaa, directed by A. L. Vijay, was released in August 2013 to mixed reviews. In 2014, he acted in Jilla which ended up as a box office hit. Vijay then starred in the action thriller Kaththi, where he portrayed another dual role. The film received positive reviews and collected ₹130 crore at the box office, becoming one of the highest-grossing Tamil films in 2014.

In 2015, he starred in the fantasy film Puli, directed by Chimbu Deven, which received mixed to poor reviews from critics. Despite the reviews, the film was one of the highest-grossing films of 2015. In April 2016, the action-thriller Theri directed by Atlee released to mixed reviews. It became the second-highest-grossing Tamil film of 2016, grossing over ₹170 crore. In 2017, the masala film Bairavaa was released, again to mixed reviews. In 2017, the action thriller Mersal released, which became a commercial success, becoming the first of Vijay's films to gross over ₹250 crore. The film won the Best Foreign Language Film award at the National Film Awards UK in 2018 with Vijay earning a nomination for the best supporting actor. The film was amongst the few films of Vijay to be released in Japan and China with further screening at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea.

In 2018, Vijay acted in the political film Sarkar, which entered the 100 Crore Club within two days. The film was released in 80 countries and became his second ever film to gross over ₹250 crore. Vijay acted in a football action film Bigil, which released in 2019. While the film received mixed reviews from critics, Vijay was praised for the portrayal of his character and the film was a commercial success, earning more than ₹300 crore. It was also the first Tamil film to be released in Egypt and Jordan. In 2021, his next film Master, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj was released. Upon release, it received mixed to positive reviews from the critics. The film collected over ₹300 crore worldwide and was declared a box office success. His next film was the dark comedy action film Beast, which received mixed reviews from critics. The film performed well in overseas box office and was commercially successful, collecting more than ₹300 crore worldwide. It became one of the most viewed films on Netflix globally in 2022.

2023–present: Continued success

In 2023, Vijay was seen in the action drama film Varisu directed by Vamshi Paidipally. The film was a commercial success, grossing over ₹300 crore at the box office. His next release of 2023 was the action thriller Leo. It received mixed reviews from critics, but went on to become a commercially successful film and emerged as one of the highest grossing Indian films of the year with a gross more than ₹600 crore. His action thriller film The Greatest of All Time opened to mixed reviews, but had a theatrical revenue of more than ₹450 crore. In February 2024, Vijay announced that he would do only one more film, which will be his 69th and last as a lead actor, titled as Jana Nayagan.

Music career

Main article: List of songs recorded by Vijay

Vijay is considered as one of the most prolific singers among Tamil actors. He has sung for various composers including Ilaiyaraaja, and A. R. Rahman. He made his singing debut with the song "Bombay City Sukkha Rotti" in Rasigan (1994). After recording his 25th song, "Vaadi Vaadi" in Sachein (2005), he took a sabbatical from singing to concentrate on acting. He made a comeback with the track "Google Google" in Thuppakki (2012), which earned him the award for the favorite song of the year at the Vijay Awards, and a nomination for the best play back singer in the South Indian International Movie Awards. In 2015, he was nominated for the Best Playback Singer award in the Filmfare Award South for the song "Yaendi Yaendi". In 2016, the song "Selfie Pulla" voiced by Vijay became popular in Europe. He was again nominated for the filmfare award for the song.

Political career

In 2009, Vijay launched his fan club Vijay Makkal Iyakkam. The organisation supported the AIADMK-led alliance in the 2011 Tamil Nadu assembly elections. In February 2019, Vijay voiced his opinion against the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 passed by the central government, saying that it would disrupt the social religious harmony of the nation.

Members of his fan club contested in the 2022 Tamil Nadu local elections, securing victory in 115 seats. On 2 February 2024, Vijay announced the launch of a new political outfit, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.

On 27 September 2025, 41 people died in a crowd crush during a political rally addressed by Vijay in Karur. He condoled the deaths and later announced ex-gratia payments to the next of kin of the dead and the injured.

On 30 January 2026, Vijay stated that his role models include M. G. Ramachandran, J. Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi, in his first interview with the national media outlet NDTV since entering politics.

Personal life

Marriage, relationships, and friendships

Vijay married Sankgeetha Sornalingam, a Sri Lankan-born British Tamil who was born to an affluent business family, on 25 August 1999. Their marriage was arranged after Sangeetha met Vijay as a fan on the sets of Kaalamellam Kaathiruppen (1997) and their families became acquainted. They have two children: a son (Jason Sanjay) and a daughter (Dhivya Sasha). Jason Sanjay is an upcoming film director who will be making his debut in the film Sigma and previously appeared in the film Vettaikkaaran alongside his father, while Dhivya Sasha also appeared alongside her father in the film Theri.

In 2025, Sankgeetha filed for divorce. In 2026, she filed a petition alleging that Vijay had denied her entry to their matrimonial home and infidelity with an unnamed actress. The petition attracted media attention after Vijay appeared at an event with actress Trisha Krishnan.

Supporting actors Sanjeev Venkat, Sriman, and Srinath have been close friends with Vijay since college and have appeared in several of his films. Playback singer S. N. Surendar is a maternal uncle of Vijay, while actor and cricketer Vikranth is one of Vijay's cousins, though the latter has never collaborated in any films together with Vijay. Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, who produced Vijay's film Kuruvi, described Vijay as "a close friend" since childhood. The two would eventually become political rivals after Vijay's Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam contested and campaigned against Udhayanithi's father and incumbent Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. K. Stalin.

Wealth and earnings

Vijay is among the highest paid actors in Tamil cinema. As of 2021, Vijay's net worth was above ₹4.2 billion (US$59 million). He earned a ₹1 billion (US$14 million) salary for Beast and also earned an estimated ₹1.2 billion (US$17 million) to ₹1.5 billion (US$21 million) salary for Varisu. In 2023, he reportedly received a ₹2 billion (US$28 million) salary for The Greatest Of All Time, becoming one of the top paid actors in India.

Tax litigation

In 2015, the Income Tax Department conducted a search at actor Vijay’s premises, leading to the disclosure of an additional ₹15 crore in income for the financial year 2015–16 including the payments related to the movie Puli. Although Vijay paid tax on the disclosed amount, the department later imposed a penalty of ₹1.5 crore under Section 271AAB(1) of the Income Tax Act, stating the disclosure was made only after the search. Vijay challenged the penalty before the Madras High Court in 2022, arguing that the penalty proceedings were time-barred. The Income Tax Department opposed the petition, maintaining the penalty was valid. As of 2025, the matter remains pending, with interim protection granted against recovery of the penalty.

On 5 February 2020, the Income Tax Department raided Vijay's residence in Chennai on potential tax evasion and his investments in immovable properties. Later, the officials stated that nothing significant was found during the raid. On 13 July 2021, the Madras High Court dismissed a writ petition filed by Vijay in 2012 seeking exemption of the Entry Tax for his Rolls-Royce Ghost car that was imported from the United Kingdom and imposed a fine of ₹0.1 million (US$1,400). On 27 July 2021, a two-judge bench of Madras High court stayed the earlier order. On 25 January 2022, the court dismissed the critical statements made by the earlier judge and on 15 July 2022, the court declared that no fine shall be imposed.

Accolades

File:IARA Award R FEmi Odelusi Vijay.jpg

Vijay at the International Achievement Recognition Awards in 2018

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Vijay

In 1998, Vijay was awarded the Kalaimaamani award by the Government of Tamil Nadu. He received an honorary doctorate from the Dr. M.G.R. University for of his achievements in the film industry in 2007. He has received numerous other awards and accolades for his acting. He was awarded the Best International Actor of 2018 in the International Achievement Recognition Awards, for his role in Mersal.

In the media

Referred to as Thalapathy, Vijay has a significant fan following in India. News 18 describes Vijay as a "versatile actor" and a "fantastic playback singer, dancer and philanthropist". He has been praised for his dancing, with The Times of India labelling his dance moves as "energetic and effortless". He has been praised for his acting skills with Zee Media reporting that "Vijay amazed audiences with his acting and screen presence".

Vijay was placed second in Rediff.com's "Best Tamil Actors" list in 2012. He has appeared several times on Forbes India Celebrity 100 list from 2012 to 2019, and peaked at 26th position in 2018. He was the third most tweeted about South Indian actor in 2020 and in 2021, he was the most tweeted about actor on the same list. In 2019, a wax figure of Vijay was unveiled in a museum in Kanyakumari. In 2023, Vijay was ranked eighth among the global celebrities in Asia by the Eastern Eye magazine . As per a research study conducted in 2023 by Indian Institute of Human Brands, Vijay was one of the most bankable celebrities in South India. In 2024, he was placed 35th on IMDb's list of 100 most viewed Indian Stars. In the same year, he was placed sixth in Eastern Eye's Top 50 Asian Stars.

External links

• C. Joseph Vijay on IMDb