Best actors of Kollywood (present)
This list is based on true talent in Tamil cinema. This list doesn't consider people with top fan base, top blockbuster contribution etc... This is purely about people who can really act. This is NOT about Heroism..
List activity
4.7K views
• 1 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
10 people
- Actor
- Music Department
- Writer
Kamal Haasan was born November 7, 1954 in Paramakudi, Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu. He debuted as a child artiste in the film "Kalathoor Kannamma" (1960). Since then, he has starred in nearly 220 films in the major Indian languages - Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. He has been a part of the film industry for 60 years, as of 2020. His journey in cinema has seen him do various roles - from child artiste, to romantic lead to one of the most respected and revered heroes of the film industry today.
He has famously said that he is a reluctant actor. He has an avid interest in every aspect of film making and is known for his work as a choreographer, director, and writer, as well.
He wrote his first script at age 18 for the film "Unarchigal" (1976), which was then followed by films that have gone on to become cult classics - Rajapaarvai (1981), Sathya (1988), Apoorva Sahotharargal (1989), Thevar Magan (1992), Mahanadi (1994), Kurudhippunal (1995), Avvai Shanmugi (1996), Hey Ram (2000), Pammal K Sambandam (2002), Panchathanthiram (2002), Anbe Sivam (2003), are a few of the films etched in popular memory for having set the bar for craftsmanship in the fields of screenplay, script, and dialogue.
He is also a prolific writer of fiction and non-fiction in Tamil and his published work is testament to his constant exploration of structure and form.
Kamal Haasan's strong convictions in his art have led to some of Indian cinema's most path-breaking films like Pushpak / Pushpaka Vimaanam / Pesum Padam (1987). Kamal Haasan also worked as a choreographer while transitioning as a well-known child artiste to the lead actor in a feature length film. Some of his best-known work as a dancer can be seen in Saagara Sangamam (1983) and the popular hit Punnagai Mannan (1986).
Kamal Haasan is also a student of Carnatic music, studying under musical maestro Dr. Balamuralikrishna. One of his biggest hits as a playback singer was the song "Inji Iduppazhagi" for the film Thevar Magan.
His career as a director began with the film Chachi 420 (1997), the Hindi remake of Avvai Shanmugi. Since then he has called the shots for critically acclaimed films like "Hey Ram" and "Virumaandi".
He has never hesitated to state his opinions and encourage debate about topics that are socially relevant. He is a rationalist in thought and moderate in opinion and a humanist in philosophy. The need to be socially conscious is seen in the way his fan clubs have revamped themselves into entities that carry out charity and volunteer work.He is a true living legend in Cinema industry. He started his career right from the age of 5. He won a national award in his debut as a kid. Right from an actor to a singer, director, producer etc. He covers all field. He is known for performing various roles in every movies. He has earned many accolades.- Vikram is an Indian film actor, voice actor and a playback singer. He made his debut in the 1990 film En Kadhal Kanmani, which was followed by a series of Tamil and Telugu films and supporting roles in few Malayalam films throughout the early decade. After the critical and commercial success of Sethu (1999) he has been part of numerous other commercially successful films and has earned major critical acclaim for many of his performances. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award for Best Actor.Starting his career as a dubbing artist, he struggled hard to find a perfect spot for himself. He is considered as the next Kamal Hassan. A very determined actor who takes up his work seriously. His passion towards acting is very huge. He could do ANY role. He would show extreme difference of looks in each movie. The worst part about him is that he doesn't get much recognition as others.
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Rajinikanth has been a superstar in the Tamil movie industry since the 70s. He is one of the highest earning actors in Asia. Primarily starring in Tamil movies, he has also worked in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Hollywood movies. He was born in Bangalore (India), and was employed as a bus conductor before he joined the Madras Film Institute. He made his debut in Katha Sangama (1976) and became a star with Apoorva Raagangal (1975) . His unique acting style is characterized by trademark gestures such as flipping a cigarette in the air and catching it with his mouth. He played varied roles successfully and is considered as an actor who can easily perform action, drama, and comedy. He is not very popular for his dancing, which is considered a crucial art for actors in Indian Movies. His performances in movies such as Mullum Malarum (1978), Aarilirunthu Arubathuvarai (1979), Johny Ustad (1980) in the 70's and 80's to movies such as Kabali (2016) recently, are considered to be examples of his acting abilities. His performances as an action-superstar overshadow his critically acclaimed performances in these movies. The Government of India has honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016 for his contributions to the arts. At the 45th International Film Festival of India (2014), he was conferred with the "Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year".This man is even worshipped in Tamil Nadu. Fondly known as "Superstar". He entered this industry doing negative roles. He is the dearest friend of Kamal Hassan. His unique style is the key factor in his movies. No one would style it better than him. He even showed difference in various commercial movies. The best entertainer ever...- Suriya was born to actor Sivakumar and his wife Lakshmi in Chennai but brought up in Coimbatore. He is the eldest of three children; his younger brother is actor Karthi Sivakumar and he has a younger sister named Brindha Sivakumar. He attended PSBB School and St. Bede's School in Chennai and graduated from Loyola College with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
Before his career in films, Suriya worked at a garment export factory for eight months. To avoid nepotism, he did not reveal himself to his boss as Sivakumar's son, but his boss ultimately learned the truth himself. He was initially offered the lead role by Director Vasanth in his film Aasai (1995), but he rejected the offer citing a lack of interest in an acting career. He later debuted in Vasanth's own 1997 film Nerrukku Ner, produced by Mani Ratnam when he was 22 years of age. The stage name Suriya was bestowed on him by Ratnam to avoid a clash of names with established actor Saravanan. Vijay, who would also go on to become a leading contemporary actor in Kollywood, co-starred with him in the film. This was followed by a series of roles in commercially unsuccessful films in the late 1990s. In 2001, he starred in Siddique's comedy film Friends, also co-starring Vijay, which became a super hit. His major break in acting came in the form of Nandha, which was directed by Bala. Playing the role of an ex-convict who is very attached to his mother, he received a Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor. His next venture was Vikraman's Unnai Ninaithu followed by Mounam Pesiyadhe directed by debutant Ameer Sultan, which became a hit film & a cult classic.
In 2003, he starred in Gautham Menon's Kaakha Kaakha, a film about the life of a police officer. The film opened to positive reviews and became a Blockbuster at the box office. Suriya also received an ITFA award for Best Actor for his role in the film. Next, his portrayal of a happy-go-lucky village crook with a comic touch in Bala's Pithamagan, along with Vikram, won him the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 2004, he played dual roles in Perazhagan, as an aggressive boxer and a handicapped phone booth keeper. Suriya's performance won positive reviews from critics. The film became a successful venture at the box office, and Suriya won his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor. The same year, he portrayed the role of a student leader in Mani Ratnam's political drama Ayitha Ezhuthu along with Madhavan and Siddarth which received highly critical acclaim and became a commercial success.
Suriya signed on to feature in the psychological thriller, Ghajini directed by A. R. Murugadoss in November 2004; he played the role of a patient suffering from short-term memory loss. Ghajini was released in late 2005 and became a Blockbuster and was the third highest-grossing film of that year in Tamil. Suriya's role was unanimously praised. Later he worked in Hari's action film Aaru and the film received a positive response at the box office.
Suriya's 2006 release was N. Krishna's Sillunu Oru Kaadhal. He acted opposite his wife Jyothika Saravanan in the film, which took a good opening but became an average grosser. In 2007, Suriya's solitary release was Vel, which became a hit at the box office. His next release was Vaaranam Aayiram, a collaboration with Gautham Menon, after the success of Kaakha Kaakha. Playing dual roles for the third time in his career, Suriya appeared as father and son, portraying scenes as a 16-year-old and as a 65-year-old. Suriya described the project as "unique" and "straight from the heart", describing the physical hardships he endured during the making. He lost weight and prepared a six-pack for the film through an eight-month fitness regime without steroids, with the movie being a trendsetter for other leading actors from South India. The film became commercially successful at the box office upon release and received positive reviews from film critics, with Suriya's performance being lauded. His portrayals also fetched him several notable awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Actor, a Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor by the jury and the Vijay Award for Best Actor in 2008. The film also went on to receive a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil in 2008.
In 2009, Suriya's first release was K. V. Anand's action-thriller Ayan, which went on to become the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year. Upon release, the film won positive reviews and Suriya's performance was again acclaimed. He found himself nominated for leading awards and won the Vijay Award for Entertainer of the Year. The film's success saw Suriya emerge as the most profitable leading actor in Tamil films, following a hat trick of large commercial hits. Following Ayan, his next film, K. S. Ravikumar's action entertainer Aadhavan also achieved commercial success, while Suriya's depiction of a hitman was praised.
In 2010, he had his 25th release with Singam directed by Hari, in which he played the role of 'Durai Singam', a police officer from a small village going to work in the city. The film received positive reviews and became a huge commercial success. The film won Suriya the Vijay Award for Best Entertainer again and subsequently went on to become the second highest-grossing film of the year. He made his Bollywood debut in Ram Gopal Varma's two-part political drama Rakta Charitra in 2010 which was released to highly critical acclaim and became an average success. His only release in 2011 that featured him in a starring role was A. R. Murugadoss's science fiction thriller 7aum Arivu. Suriya played dual roles in the film, as a circus artist and as the Buddhist monk, Bodhidharma, who lived in the 6th century. The film met with mixed reception but was a commercial success. His only 2012 release was the K. V. Anand-directed film Maattrraan in which he played the role of conjoined twins, Vimalan and Akhilan. The film received mixed reviews, and, ended up being an average grosser while Suriya's performance was praised. In January 2012, Suriya was named as the official host of the new game show to be presented on STAR Vijay, Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi, the Tamil version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which began airing on 27 February 2012 and ended on 12 July.
His next film was Singam 2, a sequel to his 2010 film Singam, that released on 5 July 2013 to positive response from the public. The film received a huge opening, becoming the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year and emerged as one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time, collecting more than 100 crores worldwide. His next film Anjaan directed by N. Lingusamy was released on 15 August 2014 to negative reviews. The film had one of the biggest openings ever in Tamil Cinema and Suriya's best but became a below-average venture at the box office. His next release was Venkat Prabhu's film Masss, which was released to mixed reviews. His only film in 2016 was his home production 24 directed by Vikram Kumar which hit the screens on 6 May 2016. The film, based on the concept of time travel, featured Suriya in triple roles. The film met with unanimous critical acclaim, and became a commercial success, grossing more than 100 crores worldwide. Suriya's performance, especially the character 'Athreya' was much praised. His first release in 2017 was Singam 3, the sequel to his earlier films Singam & Singam 2. The film was released on 9 February 2017 to mostly positive reviews from the public. It had one of the biggest worldwide openings for a Tamil film, and Suriya's biggest yet, and eventually grossed 100 crores worldwide in just 6 days of its release. Suriya's next film in 2017 is with director Vignesh Shivan for Thaanaa Serndha Koottam. Thaana Serndha Kootam was released at the beginning of 2018. Followed by this, Suriya also did a Cameo in his brother, Karthi's film - "Kadaikutty Singham". In 2019, he partnered with Selvaraghavan for NGK - a political drama that received mixed reviews from the public and critics. His next release was Kaapaan, an action thriller, in which he shared the screen with Arya and Mohanlal. The movie was a commercial success and the final directorial venture of K.V. Anand before the filmmaker's demise on 30th April 2021.
2020 and 2021 marked the years Suriya worked on "Soorarai Pottru" and "Jai Bhim" with Sudha Kongara and T. J. Gnanavel respectively. Both these films were produced by his production banner 2D Entertainment. Soorarai Pottru was praised by the public, critics and film people. The movie went on to bag 5 awards at the 68th National Awards for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (Suriya), Best Actress and Best Original Score. Jai Bhim was lauded for its craftsmanship and the message it delivered to the society. In addition to bagging multiple awards, Jai Bhim which spoke about police brutality and bias towards Irular community, created a huge social impact. Jai Bhim was made available for screening at the 96th Academy Awards. In 2022, Suriya had his 1st theatrical release in 3 years with Etharkkum Thunindhavan collaborating with director Pandiraj. The film opened to mixed reviews and went on to be a success at the Box Office. The same year, he stepped into a new character called "Rolex" who appeared as a cameo in Vikram (2022) and this character became a fan favourite in no time. He also did a Cameo in R. Madhavan's, "Rocketry - The Nambi Effect"
Suriya is now working on Kanguva directed by Siva and is slated for release in 2024. Suriya has joined hands once again with Sudha Kongara and G V Prakash Kumar for his 43rd movie. The film team released a motion poster revealing only a part of the movie title.
Suriya is married to actress Jyothika, with whom he worked with in as many as seven films. The couple, after being together for several years, got married on 11 September 2006. They have two children, a daughter named Diya and a son named Dev.
In 2008, Suriya began the Agaram Foundation, working to help children who drop out of school early in Tamil Nadu. Suriya revealed that he was inspired to begin the movement as a result of his father's organisation, Sivakumar Educational Trust, which had been operating similar benefits on a smaller scale since the 1980s. With the Ministry of Education in Tamil Nadu, he created a short commercial video outlining child poverty, labour and lack of education, titled Herova? Zerova?. The film was written and produced by Suriya and also starred Vijay, Madhavan and Jyothika. Agaram sponsored 159 underprivileged students in 2010 for their higher education in various disciplines and has continued to provide free seats and accommodation for pupils. With the firm belief that the educated mind can not only eliminate social evils but also aid in the socio-economic upbringing of society, the Agaram Foundation works towards providing appropriate learning opportunities to the rural populace who do not otherwise have access to quality education. Through the foundation, he has also set up a platform for students to participate in workshops and improve communication skills, teamwork, goal setting and leadership.
Suriya and his family have also extended help towards the education of Sri Lankan Tamil children on behalf of the Sivakumar Charitable Trust. He is also an active participant in other humanitarian works such as the "Save The Tigers" campaign, which aids in the protection and preservation of Tigers in India, and "REACH", a non-profit that cures TB patients for free using supervised medication programs. The actor celebrates every birthday by doing charity work across Tamil Nadu.He is a second generation actor. Known as the Heartthrob, he struggled in making his way in Kollywood. Once he got settled, he started showing variety in different roles. His choice of selecting movies are brilliant. A charming young man who is a future legend. - Director
- Actor
- Music Department
Venkatesh Prabhu known by his stage name Dhanush, is an Indian film actor, producer, lyricist and playback singer who has worked predominantly in Tamil cinema. In 2011, he won the National Film Award for Best Actor for the Tamil film "Aadukalam" and in the same year, he received international attention for his song "Why This Kolaveri Di", which went on to became the most viewed Indian song in YouTube.As of 2014, he has won five Filmfare Awards.
His first film was "Thulluvadho Ilamai", a 2002 coming-of-age movie directed by his father,Kasthuri Raja.Over the next ten years, Dhanush featured in 25 movies and made his Hindi debut in "Raanjhanaa" in the year 2013.He is the son-in-law of Rajnikanth. He is well known for his casual acting. He never felt that he could also act until he started winning some awards. He even started singing which gave him success such as "Why this Kolaveri?" He has improved a lot better in acting. This guy is the one to watch.- Actor
- Producer
He starred as a child star in his father's production. Audiences remember him as the cute boy who brought an estranged father and son together in "Suryavamsam". His real name is Amar Chowdary. He has 4 brothers, Suresh, a joint producer at Super GOOD films, Jeevan, who has his own business and Ramesh, another new Teenybopper Tamil Hero. Jeeva is the youngest and inarguably the cutest with the boyish charms and killer smile that made people stand up to notice in his debut film "Aasai Aasaiyai" itself. His father, R B Chowdry produced numerous films, introduced now-famous directors and heroes and is a noted south Indian film producer despite having Hindi as mother tongue and hailing from Rajasthan, a north Indian state.He starred as a child star in his father's production. He acted as a child star in "Suryavamsam". He is the son of the renowned producer R.B. Chowdry. He is well known for his comical role and now is taking up things seriously. A charming young man who has discovered a few part of his potentials.
The photo uploaded of him is wrong...- Actor
- Music Department
- Writer
Silambarasan Thesingu Rajendar, also credited by his initials S.T.R. or nickname Simbu, is an Indian actor, director, writer, composer, dancer, music director, lyricist and playback singer in the Tamil film industry. He began his acting career by playing roles as a child artist in films directed by his father T. Rajendar, before his first lead role in Kadhal Azhivathillai (2002), under his father's direction and produced by his mother Usha. Silambarasan was born in Thogarapalli Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, as the eldest child of T. Rajendar and Usha Rajendar. He has a younger brother Kuralarasan and sister Elakkiya. From early age he was a Hindu devotee and an ardent follower of Lord Shiva. He studied at Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School. He studied at Loyola College. Silambarasan entered the film industry from a young age and acted in many of his father's films until 2002, when he acted in Kadhal Azhivathillai, his first main role as a hero. He has completed 37 years in industry now (Dated 2021) and has 45 films being released.He is also a second generation actor, who is multi-talented. Known as the Young Superstar, he sings well and is extremely good in dancing. He directs movies, he even knows editing. This guy is real talented, but wastes it by wanting for more popularity. He can outperform his young colleagues if he takes up his potential more seriously.- Actor
- Music Department
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Karthi, born Karthik Sivakumar, is an Indian actor known for his work in Tamil cinema. He is the younger son of veteran actor Sivakumar and Lakshmi Sivakumar. Karthi holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Crescent Engineering College in Chennai and a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Binghamton University in New York.
During his time in New York, Karthi took a few lectures on films at New York State University, which sparked his curiosity in filmmaking. Upon his return, Karthi was offered a role in Mani Ratnam's film Aayitha Ezhuthu (2004), which he declined.
Karthi made his acting debut with the Tamil film Paruthiveeran (2007), starring Priyamani and Saravanan. He won several awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Actor, the Vijay Award for Best Male Debut and Tamil Nadu State Film Special Prize for his performance.
Karthi received Best Actor nominations at the 58th Filmfare Awards South for his roles in Ayirathil Oruvan (2010), where he played a chief coolie alongside Reema Sen, and in Paiyaa (2010), where he portrayed an urban character alongside Tamannaah Bhatia and Milind Soman.
In 2010, Karthi starred in Naan Mahaan Alla (2010), a successful thriller directed by Suseenthiran. He also starred in Siruthai (2011), an action-masala film remake of the Telugu film Vikramarkudu (2006). In this movie, he played two roles, a thief, and a police officer, and received positive reviews. The film became one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of 2011 and cemented Karthi's position in the Tamil film industry.
Between 2011 and 2016, many of Karthi's films, including Saguni (2012), Alex Pandian (2013), All in All Azhagu Raja (2013), Oopiri (2016), and Kaashmora (2016), received mixed reviews. However, there were a few exceptions, Biriyani (2013), Madras (2014), and Komban (2015), which were critically acclaimed and were box office hits.
Karthi again partnered with Mani Ratnam, this time staring in his film, Kaatru Veliyidai (2017). His subsequent film Theeran Adhigaram Ondru (2017), directed by H. Vinoth, was an enormous success. Karthi received a Filmfare Award South for Best Actor - Critics for his performance in the film.
Right after Theeran Adhigaram Ondru (2017), Karthi acted in Pandiraj's successful film Kadaikutty Singam (2018), produced by his brother Suriya. He then starred in Dev (2019), directed by Rajath Ravishankar.
His next two films, Kaithi (2019) and Sultan (2021), were box-office successes. In terms of box office performance, Kaithi (2019) was a major commercial success, grossing over Rs. 100 crores worldwide. He also starred in the commercially successful Viruman (2022), directed by M. Muthaiah.
Karthi was also a part of Mani Ratnam film Ponniyin Selvan: Part I (2022), where he plays Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan in his first Pan-Indian film. The movie also starred Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Trisha Krishnan and Sobhita Dhulipala. His next movie Sardar (2022) Sardar (2022), saw him playing a double role.
Karthi married Ranjani Chinnasamy on July 3, 2011, in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The couple has two children, a daughter named Umayaal (born in 2013) and a son named Kandhan (born in 2020).He is the younger brother of Suriya. He is known for his casual acting in comedy and in action. He started his career with a good start and he is maintaining that streak. Blessed with good background, he could take up serious roles so as to even outperform his brother.- Actor
- Producer
Born in Kerala India, Arya initially worked as a computer engineer. Luckily for us however, his passion for filming and his impressive physique brought him to modeling before debuting in acting.
Director VishnuVardhan's favorite, he worked with other acclaimed filmmakers and started building a solid filmography as a versatile and subtle actor, delivering pungent portrayals.
His first release was VishnuVardhan's Arinthum Ariyamalum (2005), where Arya played the son of Prakash Raj in a critically acclaimed young gangster role which won him Filmfare Best Debut Award South and Best New Male Face Award at the Filmfare Awards.
Since then, he embodied very diverse characters with equal intensity, demonstrating a emotional verve and sharpness, on-screen presence, a fine sense of humour, and an extremely powerful unaffected candor.
His dedication to his work won him respect of the south Indian film industry very quickly. He is known to choose the projects he gets involved in very carefully and give them his best.
Tough yet endearing gangster in Pattiyal, impressive sadhu in Bala's Naan Kadavul (Best actor Nomination at 57th South Filmfare Awards), bubbly suitor in Sarvam to soft lover in Ullam Ketkumae, romantic wrestler Madharasapattinam, are a few of the characters he's played.
Arya also started his production company, "The Show People", which will see its first release in 2010 with Padithurai.
His younger brother is the newcomer actor Sathya.He is a cool headed guy in Kollywood. He takes up comical roles which suits him most. He even dares to take up riskier roles such as in "Naan Kadavul". Since people got used to see him cool, they don't accept much of his capability, whereas he welcomes it.- Actor
- Producer
- Music Department
Vishal Krishna Reddy, popularly known as Vishal, was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He was born to G. K. Reddy, a granite businessman and Janaki Devi. Actor and producer Vikram Krishna is his brother.
Vishal was a student of Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Chennai. He completed a degree in Visual Communications at Loyola College, Chennai.
Vishal started his journey in the film industry as an assistant director to Arjun Sarja. His career took a new turn when one of the producers noticed him while working on the sets of Arjun Sarja's directorial venture Vedham (2001) and offered him an acting role.
To hone his acting skills and prepare for his debut, Vishal joined the Tamil theatre group Koothu-P-Pattarai.
Vishal began his acting career with A.R. Gandhi Krishna's directorial debut, Chellame (2004). His portrayal of Raghunandhan, an income tax officer, got positive reviews from critics.
He next played the lead role in Sandakozhi (2005), an action film directed by N. Linguswamy. He played the role of an engineering student standing up against a local gangster.
The film became a big hit at the box office and was screened for more than 200 days in Chennai. It marked the beginning of his evolution into an action hero.
Following a cameo appearance in Dishyum (2006), Vishal played the leading man in Thimiru (2006), an action entertainer made under the direction of Tarun Gopi. He received praise for his powerful acting in the movie as a student with a troubled past.
The film proved to be another big success at the box office. It went on to complete 100 days of screening at the theatres. Thimiru further established Vishal's image as an action hero in Tamil cinema.
In the same year, Karu Pazhaniappan's film Sivappathikaaram (2006) was released, which belonged to the political action genre. Vishal portrayed the character of an angry young man in the film who fights against the current political system due to its shortcomings.
Vishal was next seen in Karu Pazhaniappan, a family action drama directed by Hari that once again proved his potential as an action hero. The film completed 100 days in the theatres and gained considerable success at the box office.
Later that year, he played the lead role in Boopathy Pandian's action movie Malaikottai (2007), co-starring Priyamani. The film received mixed reviews.
His next releases included Sathyam (2008) and Thoranai (2009). He was the leading man in Theeradha Vilaiyattu Pillai (2010), which marked his first collaboration with director Thiru.
In Avan Ivan (2011), directed and written by Bala, Vishal ventured into the realm of dark comedy and portrayed a rural actor with a squint. His performance received significant acclaim, earning him the Special Jury Award at the 2012 Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards.
The following year, he was seen playing the lead role in films like Samar (2013) and Pattathu Yaanai (2013), both of which belonged to the action genre. Samar (2013) was Vishal's second collaboration with Thiru.
Pandiya Naadu (2013), an action drama released towards the end of the year, showcased the transformation of an average young man into an enraged one after his family was harmed. The film also marked Vishal's debut in production under his banner, Vishal Film Factory.
He bagged the SIIMA Award for Best Debutant Producer in 2014 for this film.
Following Pandiya Naadu, Vishal starred in Naan Sigappu Manithan (2014), a revenge action thriller in which he portrayed a character afflicted with narcolepsy, a rare neurological condition. This marked his third collaboration with Thiru. Vishal conducted extensive research by studying documentaries and literature to prepare for the role, which was well-received by critics.
For his next film, Poojai (2014), Vishal collaborated with Hari for a second time.
Over the years, Vishal continued to appear in a wide variety of films, such as Aambala (2015), Paayum Puli (2015), Kathakali (2016), Thupparivaalan (2017), Sandakozhi 2 (2018), Ayogya (2019), Chakra (2021), and Veerame Vaagai Soodum (2022), among others.
His last appearance was in Laththi (2022), an action thriller directed by A. Vinoth Kumar.
Vishal made his debut on TV in 2018 with the talk show "Sun Naam Oruvar" (2018), which he hosted on Sun TV.He is basically a director who had less success. Since he took up acting he proved that he is an entertainer to watch. But looking on his capability he doesn't take much risks like others. Directors find him capable. That's why he could do a squinted eyed guy which is really hard.