One of the leading actors in the South Indian film
industry, Ajith was born on 1st May,1971 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
to Palakkad Iyer father Subrahmaniam and Saurashtrian mother Mohini.
He dropped out of Asan Memorial Sr. Sec. School in 1986, and began his
career doing odd jobs as an automobile mechanic, garment exporter etc.
Gradually he began modeling for advertisements in the print media which
eventually paved the way for his entry into films.
Ajith entered the tinsel world at the age of 21 debuting in a Telegu
movie 'Prema Pustagam' (1992) produced by Poorna Chandra Rao. The film
which was a success earned him the 'Best New Face award' and paved the
way for his entry into Tamil films. But, though his first film in Tamil
'Amaravati' (1993) directed by Ramesh Kumar did well, Ajith got involved
in a motor bike accident by the time of its release. His spinal cord
was badly affected which made him bed-ridden for weeks. Hence his second
Tamil film 'Pavithra'(1994) got delayed for 17 months. The Tamil film
industry wrote him off, but then came the super hit movie 'Aasai' (1995),
which proved a turning point in his film career. It was 'Aasai'(1995)
and the National Award Winner 'Kathal Kottai' (1996) directed by Agathiyan
that elevated his career graph to the top.
The
following years saw a string of flops, except for a few films such as
'Aval Varuvala' (1998), 'Amarkalam' (1998), until the mega block buster
'Vaali' in 1999 which put him back in the superstar league and fetched
him the Filmfare Best actor award that year. Throughout the Nineties,
he acted in many successful movies in guest appearances and one remarkable
feature was that his films during the period has picked up at least
one award every year. And almost all his films have been dubbed or remade
into Telugu.
It was in 'Amarkalam' that he was paired for the first time with Shalini,
his future wife to be. They later got married and is blessed with a
baby girl, Anoushka.
In the year 2000, he was cast alongside Mammooty and Aishwarya Rai
in 'Kandukondain Kandukondain'(2000) which was impressive and played
a supporting role in Shahrukh Khan's 'Asoka' (2001). He received Filmfare
Best actor award for Villain in 2002. In the movie 'Varalaru' (2006)
he played triple roles which include a role inspired by a Bharathanatyam
dancer with feminine qualities. Directed by K S Ravikumar, the movie
produced by NIC Arts Chakravarthy went on to complete a 100-days in
25 screens. The role got him a Film fare award for Best Actor for the
third time. In 2007, his performance in the remake movie 'Billa'(2007)
marked a new high in his acting career. Ajith has set up his own distribution
company AK International.
Besides films, he has dabbled with photography, has a pilot license
and is the third Indian to take part in International Formula 3 race
competitions. In fact he has a passion for motor car racing. Ajith also
takes an active part of social service field and has created a non-profit
organisation named Mohini-Mani Foundation in memory of his parents.
He is an ambassador for the Green Revolution, the organisation which
makes an effort to clean up the Chennai environment and encourage people
to plant saplings.
Ajith was the only self-made hero in the Nineties who survived and
prospered without any filmy background whatsoever. Personally, Ajith
the star who has a huge fan following worldwide is very down to earth
in nature and is much appreciated for his kindness and confidence.
