Early career

Kumar was born to a Sindhi mother from Kolkata and a Keralite father. He did not speak Tamil
as a child, and mastered it only after becoming an actor.[3] He dropped out of Asan Memorial
Senior Secondary School in 1986 before completing his higher secondary.[10] He took up work as
a two-wheeler auto mechanic, and got himself a driver's license to coincide with his interests in
car and bike racing. In childhood he was fan of M. G. Ramachnadran and Rajesh Khanna.
During his teens he became fan of Rajnikanth & Kamal Hasan. At 18, Ajith had to take up a job
to support his career in racing. Joining as an apprentice, he rose to be a merchandiser with a
garment export company, doing small-time press ads and TV commercials occasionally. He had
put a lot of money into racing and would borrow tyres from his friends who used to help when
the chains wore out as there was no money in racing at that time. Following an accident, several
business agencies pushed him into modelling for advertisements in print media. He had to make
a choice between films and racing, and as the films were happening and generating him some
money, he began concentrating on it.[10] He debuted in En Veedu En Kanavar (1990) in a minor
role as a school student.[11]
Aged 20, Ajith was selected by Telugu FILM productions, Lakshmi Productions, to star in their
film; however shooting was stalled soon after filming began, following the death of the film's
director.[12] Ajith then started his film career at the age of 21 appearing in the low budget Telugu
film, Prema Pustakam in 1992, which remains his last direct Telugu film to date. His first Tamil
film Amaravathi, directed by then newcomer Selva, was a moderate success and his voice was
rendered by fellow actor, Vikram.[10] After the release, Ajith whilst training for an amateur motor
race, suffered a fall, injuring his back and underwent three major surgeries resulting in a bed rest
for one and a half years.[12] Following the injury in 1993, Ajith played a small role in the Arvind
Swamy starrer, Paasamalargal, before appearing in a supporting lead role in the family drama,
Pavithra, which featured him as an ailing patient shown maternal affection from Raadhika.[13]

19951999
In 1995, after a supporting role in the Vijay starrer Rajavin Parvaiyile, Ajith appeared in his first
major success, Aasai. The film directed by Vasanth and produced by Mani Ratnam, featured him
in the lead role opposite Suvalakshmi, whose brother-in-law infatuates about her. The film
became a big success and established Ajith as an upcoming actor in the Tamil film industry.[5][14]
He later played the lead in Kalloori Vaasal co-starring Prashanth and Pooja Bhatt.[10] Ajith's
second blockbuster came in the form of National Award winning Kadhal Kottai, in which Ajith
reunited with Agathiyan, the director of the earlier project Vaanmathi.[15] The film which told the
tale of two people falling in unconditional love without seeing each other until the climax. The
film paired him opposite Devayani, with Heera Rajgopal, who Ajith fell in love during the
making of the project, playing a supporting role.[6]
After the success of his films in 1996, the following year saw a series of five classical success,
one such being Amitabh Bachchan's Tamil production Ullaasam with Maheswari, in which he
was paid a salary of Rs. 2 million for the first time.[10] Ajith returned in 1998 with another bigest
successful project in Saran's Kadhal Mannan, with the "masala film" setting the foundations for

an expanding fan base.[10] He also began acting in Vasanth's Nerukku Ner, and was later replaced
by Suriya co-starring Vijay.[16] Following films Aval Varuvala and Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen
also became successes, with the latter featuring Ajith in a guest role. Except for Uyirodu Uyiraga
which flopped, his other 3 films released in 1998 and 6 in 1999 were box-office hits. Ramesh
Khanna's Thodarum, Sundar C's romantic drama Unnaithedi opposite Malavika set the tone for a
series of big successes.

19992002
S. J. Suryaah's thriller, Vaali, which portrayed him in dual roles for the first time opposite
Simran, became one of his biggest hits following its release.[12] The film told the story of a deaf
and mute brother setting his eyes on his younger brother's wife, with Ajith's portrayal of the two
brothers winning him his first of many awards for Filmfare's Best Actor.[17] Furthermore Ajith's
portrayal of the brothers was also praised, with critics claiming that the film was an"instant
classic" with Ajith showing that he is a "talented actor".[18] The two following supporting roles in
the drama films Anandha Poongatre and Nee Varuvai Ena also brought Ajith plaudits for his
portrayals. His final film before the new millennium was another blockbuster, Amarkalam
directed by Saran and featuring Shalini, whom he married shortly after the film. Amarkalam told
the story of a negelected child who grew up and fails to show feelings of love or affection,
becoming a gangster in the process, with Ajith's depiction of his rogue character appreciated by
critics.[19]
His next, Mugavaree, won him commercial and critical praise.[20] The film revolved around the
life of a struggling music composer who faces sacrifices to proceed in his career. The film
featured dual endings, one with Ajith succeeding in his career, the other with Ajith dejected.
Ajith's performance was yet again praised with critics from Rediff, claiming that "Ajith is the
real winner", drawing an allusion with the film's script, whilst adding that "it is amazing to see
how Ajith has grown as an actor. He brilliantly portrays the vulnerable and sad Sridhar".[21] He
also appeared in A. R. Rahman's 2000 musical Kandukondain Kandukondain directed by Rajiv
Menon. The blockbuster featured Ajith alongside prominent actors Mammooty and Abbas and
actresses Aishwarya Rai, Tabu and Srividya.[22] In a similar role to his previous film, Ajith played
a struggling film director facing an oscillating relationship with Tabu, with the pair being
unanimously praised for their roles.[23][24] After giving 6 straight hits in 1999 and having had
Mugavaree and Kandukondain Kandukondain in 2000 as success, Aith had a flop Unnai Kodu
Ennai Tharuven co-starring Simran.[19][25]
In 2001, Ajith appeared in 3 commercially successful Tamil films. Dheena, A. R. Murugadoss's
debut film co-starring Laila Mehdin and Suresh Gopi, indirectly marked the beginning of a new
image of Ajith, that of an action hero that would appeal to the masses.[26] Furthermore from the
successful film, Ajith's nickname in the film, Thala, Tamil for Leader, became a new identity for
the actor amongst his fans.[27] In the same year, he was offered a role in Nandha, which he
rejected.[28] His next was the much-hyped thriller, Citizen, portraying Ajith in ten different getups and it became a commercial success at the box office, though being labelled a
disappointment from critics.[29] A role in the family drama, Poovellam Un Vasam followed
opposite Jyothika and was a success commercially and critically earning a Special Best Actor
Award from the Tamil Nadu State.[30] The year ended off with an appearance in Santosh Sivan's

Hindi project, Asoka, in which Ajith appeared in a brief negative role alongside Shah Rukh
Khan, which flopped.[31] 2002 saw Ajith appear in three films, the first two; Red[32] and Raja[33]
being box office disappointments, the former further building up his image as an action hero. The
third film, Villain, in which Ajith appeared in dual roles, one as a mentally ill handicap, became a
blockbuster and in return earning Ajith his second Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award.[34][35]

20032005
The following years, from 2003 till 2005, saw Ajith appear in fewer films due to his career in
motor racing becoming more prominent.[36] 2003 saw the release of his long-delayed Ennai
Thalatta Varuvala and the police drama Anjaneya, both failing commercially. In that period, four
blockbuster films, namely Saamy, Kaakha Kaakha and Ghajini, were turned away by the actor
due to various reasons.[28][37]
His next film, Jana with Sneha, also became a big failure, with the Saran film, Attagasam, being
his only hit in the period.[38] The film, saw Ajith portray dual roles, with a song, "Thala
Deepavali", penned to promote his action image. In 2005, the failure of the Linguswamy film Ji,
despite garnering positive reviews and taking a strong opening, saw Ajith take a sabbatical from
acting to re-work his image.[39][40] Of the five films released between 2003 and 2005, his only
box-office hit was Attagasam.

20062008
During 2006, Ajith returned from his hiatus by appearing in P. Vasu's Paramasivan for which he
had lost twenty kilograms to portray the lead role.[41] The film enjoyed a moderate success,
scoring over Vijay's Aadhi, which also released in the same week, at the box-office.[42] Critics
from The Hindu stated Ajith looked "trim and taut" in the film with "only his eyes seeming to
have lost some of its sparkle", following the major weight loss.[43] Furthermore, for Paramasivan
and his two other projects in 2006, Ajith sported long hair, which was being grown for Bala's
project, Naan Kadavul, which Ajith eventually opted out of.[44] Similarly his next, AVM
Productions's, Thirupathi directed by Perarasu performed above average business at the boxoffice, despite garnering poor reviews, with Rediff critics citing that the film is "anything but
sensible" but that Ajith "salvages the situation with a spirited performance".[45] Ajith summed up
a successful comeback by the release of his long-delayed film, Varalaru which went on to
become his biggest success til date. The K. S. Ravikumar film co-starring Asin, portrayed Ajith
in three roles, including that of a classical dancer, with his portrayals being critically praised.[46]
[47]
Moreover, the film fetched Ajith his third Filmfare Best Actor Award, on its way to becoming
a blockbuster.[48] In 2007, media reports hinted that the actor would do a project with Shankar.[49]
Ajith's first release in 2007, Aalwar became a debacle at the box-office, with his previous film
still continuing to run in theatres even after Aalwar had stopped its brief theatrical run.[50]
Kireedam, a remake of the 1989 National Award winning Malayalam film of the same name was
released to positive reviews, with the film also becoming a moderate success.[51] During the shoot
of the film, Ajith developed a further spinal injury, a recurrence of his problem earlier in his
career.[52]

Ajith then starred in Billa, a remake of the 1980 Rajinikanth starrer of the same name, which
became a blockbuster, the Vishnuvardhan directorial fetched critical praise for Ajith, becoming a
trend-setter for stylish art direction and cinematography in India.[53] Billa, yet again, featured
Ajith in dual roles one of a notorious don whilst the other played an innocent person who had to
act as the don, following the former's death. After Billa, Ajith appeared in the film Ayngaran
International production Aegan, directed by the choreographer turned director Raju Sundaram.
The film, a remake of the 2004 Hindi comedy Main Hoon Na, failed at the box office.[54]

2010present
Following a year's worth of production, Ajith's Aasal released in February 2010, taking a grand
opening at the box office. The film, which also featured Ajith in dual roles, also failed at the box
office despite its bigger expectations.[55]
After a second foray into motor racing, Ajith signed up to star in a film directed by Venkat
Prabhu, titled Mankatha, which notably became his 50th project.[56] The film featured him in a
full-length negative role as Vinayak Mahadevan, a suspended police officer who lusts after
money. His performance and his decision to portray a character with negative shades, breaking
the stereotype hero image in Tamil cinema,[57][58] were lauded by critics, with reviewers from Sify
and Rediff terming the film as an "out and out Ajith film" that worked "only because of Ajith".[59]
[60]
Heaping praise on the actor's performance, the former noted that he "rocks as the man with ice
in his veins as the mean and diabolic cop" and that he played "the emotionless bad man, to
perfection",[59] while the latter wrote that he had "carried practically the whole film on his
capable shoulders".[60] Mankatha brought Ajith Kumar his best ever opening in his career and
went on to become a financially successful venture as well.[57]
Ajith then starred in Billa II, a prequel to his 2007 blockbuster Billa, which released on 13 July
2012 to mixed reviews with critics praising Ajith's screen presence and stunts, film's
cinematography, pace and style while criticizing the climax to be poor and blaming the director.
[61][62][63][64][65]
However it had a wonderful opening and was declared a commercial success.[66][67][68]
He has starred in Vishnuvardhan's Arrambam alongside Arya, Nayantara and the film released on
31 October to very high positive reviews from both critics and audience.[69] The movie collected
a heavy sum of 1 billion (US$16 million) worldwide in just 10 days.[70] His next film post
Arrambam was Veeram directed by Siva co-starring Tamannaah released on Pongal 2014[71] to
positive reviews from critics.[72] Ajith's next film is Yennai Arindhaal, with Gautham Menon as
director.[73]