Vijay is one of the biggest superstars of Tamil cinema, and that is something every movie fanatic is aware of. He has fans across the globe and we bet, his fans are eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of the superstar on the big screens. Today (June 22) is a special day not just for Vijay but also for his fans. It is Vijay’s birthday! Yes, the Thalapathy Vijay has turned a year older today, but the celebrations had started way back. Fans started wishing him on social media by posting not just good wishes but many even kept Vijay’s photo as their display picture. Twitter was trending with ‘Vijay Anna’, ‘#ThalapathyBDayCDP’, and so on. Bigil Second Poster: The Makers of Vijay's Next Introduce 'Michael' as the Gift on Thalapathy's Birthday.

Vijay who turned 45 today, was born to S. A. Chandrasekhar (Tamil film director) and Shoba (playback singer). Before making a full-fledged debut, Vijay stepped into the world of Tamil cinema as a child artist in the film Vetri that released in 1984. He has worked as a child actor in five other films after it. Vijay made his debut with the film Naalaiya Theerpu that released in 1992 and it was helmed by his father. In fact the next four films that Vijay did was with his father but he shot to fame with the film Poove Unakkaga that released in 1996. Directed by Vikraman, this movie was a game-changer in Vijay’s acting career. Let’s take a look at those 10 films that were the biggest hits of this Tamil superstar.

Kushi

Kushi, a rom-com released in 2000 featured Jyothika opposite Vijay. This film not just opened to positive reviews but it was commercially successful as well. The concept of the film was pretty simple and straight to the point. However, it was the direction and the performance of the lead actors that led to the success of the film.

Priyamanavale

Vijay had two films releasing in 2000 and Priyamanavale was the second one. It was again a romantic drama in which actress Simran was paired opposite him. Though this film was a remake of the Telugu-language movie Pavitra Bandham, it turned out to be a blockbuster at the ticket windows.

Friends

Friends was a remake of the Malayalam-language film directed by Siddique, who directed the Tamil version as well. A film that revolved around friendship, family and love, the story-line won audiences’ hearts and went on to become a huge hit at the ticket windows.

Thirumalai

Between 2001-2003, Vijay had many released but they weren’t commercially successful. Then in October 2003 released Thirumalai, starring Vijay and Jyothika. It was this romantic action drama that made everyone call him an action hero. This transition was again a game-changer in his acting career graph.

Ghilli

The next Vijay had in his kitty was Ghilli and it was the first Tamil film to earn Rs. 500 million in the domestic box office. This film completed 200 days in Chennai theatres. Directed by Dharani, the film was a remake of the Telugu film Okkadu.

Sivakasi

The 2005 released action film Sivakasi featured Vijay, Asin and Prakash Raj in the lead. Directed by Perarasu, the film was released during the time of Diwali and it received positive response and also performed extremely well at the ticket windows.

Pokkiri

Pokkiri was a gangster drama starring Vijay and Asin in the lead, released in 2007. This was a remake of the Telugu film of the same name, in which Thalapathy was seen portraying the role of DSP Satyamoorthy IPS (Tamizh). A Prabhudheva directorial, this movie turned out to be the third highest-grossing Tamil film of that year.

Kaththi

Kaththi, an AR Murugadoss directorial, featured Vijay in dual role. This film that was lauded for its screenplay and story, was the highest-grossing Tamil films of 2014. Samantha Akkineni and Neil Nitin Mukesh were also roped in the lead roles.

Theri

The action-thriller Theri was the highest-grossing film of 2016. Directed by Atlee, this film had an ensemble cast and the star cast were praised for their performances. Within a week’s time, Theri managed to mint a billion at the ticket windows.

Mersal

Mersal was again an action masala film directed by Atlee. The movie turned to be the highest-grossing films in Vijay’s career. This film had another major reason to be commercially successful and it was Vijay’s triple role. Fans went gaga seeing him in the avatar of a father and two sons.

Vijay’s 45th birthday is extremely special as the makers of his upcoming film directed by Atlee have dropped another major update. The makers have revealed the film’s title, Bigil, and that has upped the curiosity amongst his fan clubs. We wish Vijay a very Happy Birthday and a great year ahead!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 22, 2019 08:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).