Arun Vijay

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Arun Vijay (born Arun Kumar, 19 November 1977) is an Indian actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema, with a few films in Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. The only son of the veteran actor Vijayakumar, he debuted in Murai Mappillai (1995) and, after changing his screen name, found success in films such as Malai Malai (2009), Thadaiyara Thaakka (2012), Kuttram 23 (2017), Thadam (2019) and Yaanai (2022). He is also known for villain roles, including his Telugu debut in Bruce Lee: The Fighter (2015).

Early life

Arun was born to Vijayakumar and his first wife, Muthukannu; the family’s hometown is Pattukkottai in Thanjavur district. He studied at Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Egmore and then at Loyola College. He wanted to act from childhood, having watched his father at work on film sets, but his father insisted he finish school first.

Early films

He signed on at 18 for Sundar C’s Murai Mappillai (1995), making him one of the youngest actors to debut as a hero in Tamil cinema. He had early successes in Thulli Thirintha Kaalam (1998) and Cheran’s Pandavar Bhoomi (2001), his first film with his father, which won a Tamil Nadu State Film Award. His career stalled when Buddhan, a project for which he had transformed himself physically, was dropped in 2000, and a string of failures followed, although critics appreciated his work in Jananam (2004).

A new name and breakthrough

Credited as Arunkumar until 2006, he became Arun Vijay from 2007. A. Venkatesh’s Malai Malai (2009) was a commercial success, as was Maanja Velu (2010) from the same team, and Magizh Thirumeni’s action-thriller Thadaiyara Thaakka (2012) moved him away from masala films.

Villain roles and Telugu

He played the antagonist Victor in Gautham Vasudev Menon‘s Yennai Arindhaal (2015), with Ajith Kumar. The same year he made his Telugu debut as the lead antagonist in Bruce Lee: The Fighter, and in 2016 his Kannada debut as the lead antagonist in Chakravyuha. He later had a supporting role in Saaho, starring Prabhas. In 2015 he also launched his production company, In Cinemas Entertainment, to give opportunities to young talent.

Return to leads

Kuttram 23 (2017) was a box office success, and he was part of the ensemble of Mani Ratnam’s Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (2018). In Magizh Thirumeni’s Thadam (2019) he played his first double role, as twins Kavin and Ezhil, and was widely praised. He played a narcotics officer in Mafia: Chapter 1 (2020), appeared with his father and son in Oh My Dog (2022), and starred in Hari’s Yaanai. His villain in Dhanush’s Idli Kadai (2025) was well received.

Personal life

In 2006 Arun Vijay married Aarathi, daughter of the producer N. S. Mohan. They have a daughter, Purvi, and a son, Arnav.

Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.

Arun Vijay: quick facts

• Born: Arun Kumar, on 19 November 1977, the only son of actor Vijayakumar; his hometown is Pattukkottai in Tamil Nadu (The Times of India)
• First film: The Tamil film Murai Mappillai (1995), directed by Sundar C (The Hindu)
• Kannada debut: Chakravyuha (2016), as the lead antagonist (Wikipedia)
• Telugu films: He works mainly in Tamil cinema and has made a few Telugu films; the two on file are listed in the table on this page (The New Indian Express)
• Films in other languages: TMDB lists 36 non-Telugu films for him (TMDB).