Personal Details
- Full name: Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar
- Born: June 22, 1974
- Nationality: Indian
- Birthplace: Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu
- Son of filmmaker S. A. Chandrasekhar and playback singer Shoba Chandrasekhar.
- Married Sangeetha Sornalingam in 1999; they have two children.
- Studied at Loyola College in Chennai before leaving college to pursue acting.
Professional Details
- One of the biggest stars in Tamil cinema, popularly known as “Thalapathy.”
- Began acting as a child and made his lead-actor debut in Naalaiya Theerpu (1992).
- Initially became known for romantic and family-oriented films before transitioning into action and mass entertainers.
- Major films include Poove Unakkaga, Kadhalukku Mariyadhai, Ghilli, Pokkiri, Thuppakki, Kaththi, Mersal, Bigil, Master, Leo, and The Greatest of All Time.
- Also works as a playback singer and dancer and has a substantial philanthropic following.
- Founded Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in 2024 and moved from cinema into politics.
- His final film, Jana Nayagan, was released in 2026, marking his transition away from acting.
- His career is particularly notable because he transformed an enormous fan base built through cinema into a political movement.
