Age, Biography and Wiki
Vijay, born Joseph Vijay, is a celebrated actor born to S.A. Chandrasekhar and Shobha Chandrasekhar. His father was a filmmaker, and his mother was a playback singer. Vijay began his acting career as a child and has since become a central figure in Tamil cinema, known for his versatility and charisma on screen.
| Occupation | Politician |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 22 June 1974 |
| Age | 51 Years |
| Birth Place | Madras, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Horoscope | Cancer |
| Country | India |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific details about his height and weight are not widely documented, Vijay is known for his fit physique, which he maintains through rigorous workouts and a healthy lifestyle.
| Height | |
| Weight | |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
| Hair Color |
Dating & Relationship status
Vijay is married to Sangeetha Sornalingam, and the couple has two children together. They lead a private life, with Vijay often focusing on his professional commitments.
Born in Madras to director S. A. Chandrasekhar, Vijay made his debut as a child actor in the Tamil film Vetri (1984). After a few roles as a child actor in his father’s films, he played his first lead role in the film Naalaiya Theerpu (1992) at the age of 18. Vijay continued doing lead roles for the next few years with notable films amongst them included Poove Unakkaga (1996), Love Today (1997), Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997), Thullatha Manamum Thullum (1999) and Kushi (2000). In 1998, he was awarded Kalaimaamani by the Government of Tamil Nadu for his role in Kadhalukku Mariyadhai.
His father, S. A. Chandrasekhar, is a film director and his mother, Shoba Chandrasekhar, is a playback singer and vocalist. His father is of Christian descent 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.
At the age of 10, 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), Vasantha Raagam (1986), Sattam Oru Vilayaattu (1987) and Ithu Engal Neethi (1988). He also acted in a supporting role with Rajinikanth in Naan Sigappu Manithan (1985), directed by his father.
Vijay married Sangeetha, a Sri Lankan Tamil on 25 August 1999. They have two children: a son Sanjay who briefly appeared alongside his father in Vettaikaaran, and a daughter Divya who appeared in her father's Theri.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Sangeeta (m. 25 August 1999) |
| Sibling | |
| Children |
Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Vijay's net worth is estimated between ₹459 crores and ₹600 crores, depending on the source. His earnings are primarily from film projects, where he reportedly charges between ₹130 crore per film, and brand endorsements, which add an additional ₹10 crores annually. His annual salary is estimated to be around ₹100 to ₹120 crores, with potential earnings reaching ₹250 crores for select projects.
In 2023, Vijay starred 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 sci-fi action 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.
As of 2021, Vijay's net worth is over ₹420 crore. Vijay earned a ₹100 crore salary for Beast and also earned an estimated ₹120 crore—₹150 crore for Varisu. In 2023, he reportedly received a ₹200 crore salary, becoming one of the top paid actors in India.
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 ₹1 lakh. 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.
Career, Business and Investments
Vijay's career began at a young age, with his first role in the 1984 film "Vetri." He gained widespread recognition with films like "Poove Unakkaga" and "Thullatha Manamum Thullum." Recent successes include "Leo," which grossed ₹612 crore worldwide in 2023. Vijay is also involved in various business ventures and investments, including real estate and luxury cars, which contribute to his net worth.
Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar (born 22 June 1974), known professionally as Vijay, is an Indian actor and playback singer who works in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning over three decades, Vijay has acted in 68 films and is one of the most commercially successful actors in Tamil cinema with multiple films amongst the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time and is amongst the highest paid actors in India. He has won several awards as an actor. Referred to as "Thalapathy", Vijay has a significant fan following.
In 2003, following the action-romance film Thirumalai, Vijay starred 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 and Thirupaachi in 2005. Later, he starred in the commercially successful films Sachein, Sivakasi and Pokkiri. Pokkiri became one of the highest-grossing films of his career at the time.
In late 2007, 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. Except the commercially successful, Kuruvi in 2008 and Vettaikaaran in 2009, his subsequent releases Azhagiya Tamil Magan and Villu 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 2012, Vijay acted in the commercially successful Nanban, a remake of successful Hindi film 3 Idiots. Later in the year, 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 1998, Vijay was awarded the Kalaimaamani by the Government of Tamil Nadu and Vijay received an honorary doctorate from the Dr. M.G.R. Educational Institute for of his achievements in the film industry in 2007. Vijay was awarded the Best International Actor of 2018 in the United Kingdom for his role in Mersal. He has received numerous other awards and accolades for his acting.
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 Vijay's 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".
Social Network
Vijay maintains a strong connection with his fans through social media platforms, though he is not highly active. His personal life and interactions are often managed by his team.
Education
Vijay attended Loyola College, where he majored in Visual Communications. However, he did not complete his degree, opting instead to pursue his acting career.
In summary, Vijay's success in the entertainment industry has catapulted him to being one of the wealthiest and most influential figures in Indian cinema, with a remarkable net worth and consistent high earnings from his film projects and endorsements.
In 2004, he starred in the blockbuster action-masala film Ghilli and with subsequent success of Thirupaachi (2005) and Pokkiri (2007) later, 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 early 2010s including Thuppakki (2012), Kaththi (2014), Mersal (2017), Sarkar (2018), Master (2021), Beast (2022), Leo (2023) and his penultimate film The Greatest of All Time (2024).
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.
