Ups and downs (2001-2005)
In 2001, Ajith appeared in Dheena, A. R. Murugadoss's debut film co-starring Laila Mehdin and Suresh Gopi. The film, indirectly marked the beginning of a new image of Ajith, that of an action hero that would appeal to the masses.[24] Furthermore from the successful film, Ajith's nickname in the film, Thala, Tamil for Leader, became a new identity for the actor amongst his fans.[25] His next was the much-hyped thriller,Citizen, portraying Ajith in ten different get-ups and it became an above average success at the box office, despite being labelled a disappointment from critics.[26] A role in the family drama, Poovellam Un Vasam followed opposite Jyothika and was a success commercially and critically earning a Special Best Actor Award from the Tamil Nadu State.[27] The year ended off with an appearance in Santosh Sivan's Hindi project, Asoka, in which Ajith appeared in a brief negative role alongside Shah Rukh Khan. 2002 saw Ajith appear in three films, the first two; Red and Raja being average grossers, the former further building up his image as an action hero.[28] The third film, Villain, in which Ajith appeared in dual roles, one as a mentally ill handicap, became a blockbuster and in return earning Ajith his second Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award.[29][30]
The following years, from 2003 til 2005, saw Ajith appear in a fewer amount of films due to his career in motor racing becoming more prominent.[31] 2003 saw the release of his long-delayed Ennai Thalatta Varuvala and the police-drama Anjaneya, both failing commercially. His next Jana with Sneha also became a big failure, with the Saran film, Attagasam being his only hit in the period.[32] The film, saw Ajith portray dual roles, with a song, Thala Deepavali penned to promote his action image.In 2005, the failure of the Linguswamy film Ji, despite garnering positive reviews and taking a strong opening, saw Ajith take a sabbatical from acting to re-work his image.[33][34]
[edit]Success and stardom (2006–present)
During 2006, Ajith returned from his hiatus by appearing in P. Vasu's Paramasivan for which he had lost twenty kilograms to portray the lead role.[35] The film enjoyed a moderate success, scoring over Vijay's Aadhi, which also released in the same week, at the box-office.[36] Critics from The Hindu stated Ajith looked "trim and taut" in the film with "only his eyes seeming to have lost some of its sparkle", following the major weight loss.[37] Furthermore, for Paramasivan and his two other projects in 2006, Ajith sported long hair, which was being grown forBala's project, Naan Kadavul, which Ajith eventually opted out of. Similarly his next, AVM Productions's, Thirupathi directed by Perarasuperformed above average business at the box-office, despite garnering poor reviews, with Rediff critics citing that the film is "anything but sensible" but that Ajith "salvages the situation with a spirited performance".[38] Ajith summed up a successful comeback by the release of his long-delayed film, Varalaru which went on to become his biggest success til date. The K. S. Ravikumar film co-starring Asin, portrayed Ajith in three roles, including that of a classical dancer, with his portrayals being critically praised.[39][40] Moreover, the film fetched Ajith his third Filmfare Best Actor Award, on its way to becoming a blockbuster.[41] Ajith's first release in 2007, Aalwar became a debacle at the box-office, with his previous film still continuing to run in theatres even after Aalwar had stopped its brief theatrical run.[42] Kireedam, a remake of the 1989 National Award winning Malayalam film of the same name was released to positive reviews, with the film also becoming a moderate success.[43] During the shoot of the film, Ajith developed a further spinal injury, a recurrence of his problem earlier in his career.[44]
Ajith then starred in a remake of a 1980s Rajinikanth starrer, Billa, which became a blockbuster.[45] The Vishnuvardhan directorial fetched critical praise for Ajith, becoming a trend-setter for stylish art direction and cinematography in India.[46] Billa, yet again, featured Ajith in dual roles one of a notorious don whilst the other played an innocent person who had to act as the don, following the former's death. After Billa, Ajith appeared in the film Ayngaran International production Aegan, directed by the choreographer turned director Raju Sundaram. The film, a remake of the 2004 Hindi comedy Main Hoon Na, only managed to do average business at the box office.[47] Following a year's worth of production, Ajith's latest release, Aasal released in February 2010, taking a grand opening at the box office. The film, which also featured Ajith in dual roles, saw Ajith credited as a screenwriter along with his role of being a don neglected by his brothers in the quest for their father's will.[48] After a second foray into motor racing, Ajith signed up to star in a film directed by Venkat Prabhu, titled Mankatha, which started in late October 2010.[49]
[edit]Racing career
Ajith is a keen race car driver and has driven in circuits around India in places such as Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. He has also been abroad for various races including Germany and Malaysia. He drove in the 2003 Formula Asia BMW Championships.[50] He is presently racing in the 2010 Formula 2 Championship along with two other Indians, Armaan Ebrahim and Parthiva Sureshwaren.[51]
[edit]Formula BMW Asia (2003)
After a one-off race during the Formula Maruti Indian Championships in 2002, where he finished in fourth place, Ajith signed a contract with manager Akbar Ebrahim confirming his participation in the inaugural Formula BMW Asia Championship. Despite spinning out in the first lap of his first race, Ajith successfully completed the season by finishing seventh in the season.
[edit]Formula 2 (2010)
After a six year sabbatical, Ajith signed up for his third season of car racing by participating in the 2010 season of the FIA Formula Two Championship.[52] The decision to be involved in the sport was made after Ajith's film directed by Gautham Menon was delayed, allowing Ajith to participate for the whole season.[53] Prior to signing up, Ajith competed in the final round of the MRF racing series in Chennai in February 2010, but failed to finish the race due to mechanical problems. Further trials in Sepang, Malaysia followed suit as he practised for the season's beginning in April 2010 in his Formula Renault V6 car with Eurasian Racing, shedding 11 kilograms during training.[54]
[edit]Personal life
[edit]Family
Ajith Kumar was born on 1 May 1971 to a Tamil Iyer named P. Subramaniam and his wife Mohini, of Sindhi origin from Kolkata, West Bengal.[3][55] Ajith later created the non-profit organisation "Mohini-Mani Foundation", named after his parents, in order to promote self-hygiene and civic consciousness and to help ease the problems of urban sprawl.[56] Ajith Kumar was the middle son out of three brothers, the others being Anoop Kumar, a stock broker in New York and Anil Kumar, an IIT Madras graduate working in Seattle. The latter brother was recently involved in the court case of fellow actor, Prashanth's, divorce.[57] Moreover, Ajith had younger twin sisters, both of whom died young.[3] Through his marriage to actress Shalini, Ajith became brother-in-law to actor, Richard Rishi, and actress Shamili, who appeared as his sister-in-law in Rajiv Menon's Kandukondain Kandukondain.
[edit]Relationships
In 1999, during ths shoot of Saran's Amarkalam, Ajith began to date his co-star Shalini. At that time, their involvement made him a regular subject of tabloid gossip, a role to which he was accustomed following his previous relationship. Ajith proposed to Shalini in June 1999, and following consultations with her family, she agreed.[2] They were married in April 2000 in Chennai in a grand ceremony. As both were of different religions, Ajith being a Hindu Brahmin and Shalini being Protestant Christian, they were married together under the customs of both religions. After their marriage, Shalini retired as an actress and became a full time housewife, following the completion of two unfinished projects.[58] On 3 January 2008, their daughter, Anoushka, was born in Chennai.[59]
