Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar[2] (born 22 June 1974), known mononymously as Vijay, is an Indian actor, dancer, playback singer and philanthropist who works predominantly in Tamil cinema and also appeared in other Indian languages films.[3][4] He is one of the highest paid actors in India.[5][6][7][8] He has significant fan following globally[9] and has acted in 65 films as a lead actor. He has won numerous awards, including eight Vijay Awards by Star India, three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards by Government of Tamil Nadu, and a SIIMA Award.[10] He has been included several times in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list, based on the earnings of Indian celebrities.[11][12][13] Pan-Indian demand for his films, made him a sought-after actor in Hindi cinema.[14][15] At 10 years old, Vijay's first role was in the drama Vetri (1984); he performed as a child actor in films until Ithu Engal Neethi (1988), directed by his father S. A. Chandrasekhar, and then featured as the lead for the first time in Naalaiya Theerpu (1992). He rose to prominence in the 90s as a romantic hero performing in many romance silver jubilee films.[16] His first blockbuster came in 1996 with Poove Unakkaga. He played anti-hero roles as a hyper-possessive lover in Priyamudan (1998), followed by a play-boy in Azhagiya Tamil Magan (2007). The success of his masala film Thirumalai (2003) changed his on-screen persona to that of an action hero.[17] He appeared as a kabaddi player in Ghilli (2004), which went on to become the first Tamil film to earn ₹500 million (Indian rupees).[18] He continued to achieve success during the 2000s with cult films including Thirupaachi (2005), Sachein (2005), Sivakasi (2005), Pokkiri (2007) and Vettaikaaran (2009). In the 2010s and 20s, Vijay achieved further success with the blockbusters including Kaavalan (2011), Nanban (2012), Thuppakki (2012), Kaththi (2014), Mersal (2017), Sarkar (2018), Bigil (2019), Master (2021) and Beast (2022). While Vijay's earlier films were primarily romance, action and masala based, his later films transitioned into the thriller genre and discussion of reform concerning social, environmental and political issues in India.[19] Vijay is among the most popular celebrities in India.[20] He was appointed the brand ambassador for several endorsements, notably the American Embassy for 'V go Green' global awareness campaign movement, and the Indian Premier League cricket team Chennai Super Kings.[21] Vijay's popularity has been recorded by both Google and Twitter as the most-searched-and-tweeted actor several times.[22][23] He received an honorary doctorate from the Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute in 2007 for his contributions to social welfare and in honour of his achievements in the film industry. International Business Times framed him as the "consistent box office performer".[24]