Here are some memorable performances from his film career.
Thala Ajith is celebrating his birthday on Sunday, May 1. The day will also see his next film Thala57 go on floors. As he turns 45, here's a look at the star's top 10 films.
Vaali
Directed by SJ Suryaah, this move really showed off Ajith's acting abilities. He played two roles in the movie, romancing both Simran and Jyothika. The actor took home the Filmfare Award South for Best Actor for this film. It was actor Sudeep who played the role of Ajith in the Kannada version of this film.
Villain
KS Ravikumar directed this 2002 film. He played two roles in this movie yet again and excelled at both roles. Again, the actor won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor (South) for his roles as Shiva and VIshnu. Meena and Kiran were the two leading ladies in this movie that comedian-writer Yugi Sethu co-wrote with KS Ravikumar.
Varalaaru
This movie was also helmed by ace director KS Ravikumar and Ajith played three roles in this movie. Unlike the other films where he played twin brothers, here he played father and twin brothers. Asin was one of the main leads in this movie which had music by AR Rahman.
Aasai
This is perhaps one movie that is unforgettable in Ajith's career. Director Vasanth's romantic thriller was also remade in Hindi with Rajesh Khanna. The songs were a superhit. Apparently the movie was first offered to actor Suriya, but since he wasn't keen on it then, it was bagged by Ajith.
Kadhal Kottai
Kadhal Kottai was a movie that proved not just Ajith's prowess but also director Agathiyan's skills. This film bagged the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil, Best Direction and Best Screenplay. The movie was such a hit that it was remade in Hindi as Sirf Tum and also in Bengali. This is one of the rare instances where a novel based on the film came out rather than the other way round.
Amarkalam
This was the movie that changed Ajith's life in many ways. He acted with Shalini in this film and the two fell in love during the course of the shoot. Director Saran was applauded for the way he shot the film and the movie was a big box office hit as well.
Billa
With this Vishnuvardhan film, Ajith turned slick, suave and cool and fans went crazy. He played an underworld don who was more right than wrong. Bollywood actress Hazel Keech, (who is set to marry cricketer Yuvraj Singh), also played a role in this movie.
Asoka
Starring Shah Rukh Khan, this is the only major Hindi movie that Ajith has ever done. Playing the role of the villain Susima Maurya, Ajith dazzled on screen. However, he never signed on another Hindi flick.
Mankatha
Director Venkat Prabhu wrote a script that was tailor-made for Ajith. The film went on to win many awards and was a huge success at the box office as well. The audience and critics loved the role played by Ajith in this movie. He also stuck to his salt-and-pepper look which women went gaga for.
Arrambam
Another film directed by Vishnuvardhan, this movie is a thriller drama. This film was stated to have had the best opening for an Ajith film at the time. The actor was once again nominated for Filmfare Award South for Best Actor.
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 "Ajith, Tamil Films, Thala Ajith, Thala57")
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