Vijay completes 20 years in the film industry

by Raven and MovieCrow

Vijay, the darling of masses completes his 20 years in the film industry. His first film Naalaiya Theerpu released on this same day, 20 years ago. The biggest strength of Vijay is his very loyal fan base that has been the pillar of strength through his highs and lows. As per the crowdsourced content provider site, his career can be broken down into 5 phases so far,

• Early career (1992–96)  - Naaalaiya Theerpu to Coimbatore Mappillai

• Breakthrough (1996–03) - Poove Unakkaga to Puthiya Geethai

• Commercial stardom (2003–07) - Thirumalai to Pokkiri

• Career slump (2007–10) - Azhagiya Tamizh Magan to Sura

• Resurgence (2011–present) - Kaavalan to Thuppakki and beyond

Without spending too much time on well-known facts about Vijay's career graph. Let's take this opportunity to explore 4 unique traits of Vijay that differentiates him from his peers in the industry.

1. Vijay's career NOT shaped by top-notch directors

It is astonishing to see him come this far without the help of established directors. It is only during the last couple of years, he has worked with top-rung directors such as Shankar and AR Murugadoss and one could see the transformation already. Vijay openly confided that he will start focusing on both content as well as presentation before signing a film. 

2. Moderate Experimentation with Looks

Vijay has not experimented with his looks, grew beard or long locks, nor tried to sport a six-pack. He still looks more or less the same way he used to a decade ago. Yet, Vijay has been managing to keep his fans thrilled and excited with every new movie. As his peers begin to take roles that fit their age, Vijay appears to be turning his clock back with his evergreen looks.

3. Stepping outside of TN markets 

Apart from Kerala and Bangalore, Vijay doesn't have a strong non-Tamil fan base outside of Tamil Nadu due to a number of remake movies he had done from Telugu. With Nanban and Thuppakki, Vijay is starting to make inroads into Telugu market and north of Vindhyas as well. By, venturing into other languages, Vijay is now well positioned to break into the 20 Crore salary club occupied by only 3 Tamil actors so far.

4. Entertainer or Actor?

Vijay once mentioned that he would like to call himself an entertainer than an actor. His career moves suggest the same. You would not see Vijay choosing difficult roles for the purpose of fetching him critical awards. Vijay is known for underplaying his role. Hardly ever, you will see critics complain about Vijay going over the top in his acting. Apart from acting, Vijay also became the best in the industry for his graceful dance moves even though he was not known for his dancing abilities during his initial years. Vijay had recently completed singing his 24th song with "Google Google", which turned out to be one of the biggest chart-busters of 2012. His 25th song will be for A. L. Vijay's film under the music of G. V. Prakash.

Vijay is just getting revved up...

After 20 long years, it feels as if Vijay is just getting revved up. It is surprising to see he is still looking young, energetic and untapped. By starting to work with leading directors, Vijay is sure to spring some surprises in the coming years. We congratulate Vijay for completing two decades in the film industry and wish a long successful career spanning many more decades.