History of Ajith in Tamil Movie Industry

In 1995, after a supporting role in the Vijay starrer Rajavin Parvayiley , Ajith appeared in his first major success,Aasai.The film directed by Vasanth.The film became became a big success and established Ajith as an upcoming actor in the Tamil Movie Industry.Ajith's next Vaanmathi was also a hit and he later played the lead in Kalluri Salai co-starring Prasanth.Ajith's second blockbuster came in the form of  National Award winning Kadhal Kottai.
After the success of his films in 1996, the following year saw a series of five failures,the most notable being
Amitabh Bachchan's Tamil production Ullasam.Ajith returned with another successful project in Saran's Kadhal Manan with the masala film setting the foundations for an expanding fan base.Following films Aval Varuvala and Unnidathil Ennai Kuduthen also became successes, with the latter featuring Ajith in a praised guest role. After a couple of average grossers in Uyirodu Uyiraga and Thodarum and Unnaithedi became another comeback film and set the tone for a series of big successes.S.J.Suryha's thriller Vaali which portrayed him in dual roles became his biggest hit til date following it's release.The two following supporting roles in the drama films Aanandha Poongatrey and Nee Varuvayena also brought Ajith plaudits for his portrayals.His final film before the new millennium was another blockbuster,Amarkalam directed by Saran.
His next,Mugavari won him commercial and critical praise.The film revolved around the life of a struggling music composer who faces sacrifices to proceed in his career. The film featured dual endings, one with Ajith succeeding in his career, the other with Ajith dejected. Ajith's performance was yet again praised with critics
from claiming that "Ajith is the real winner", drawing an allusion with the film's script, whilst adding that "it is amazing to see how Ajith has grown as an actor. He brilliantly portrays the vulnerable and sad Sridhar".[13] He also appeared in A.R.Rahman's 2000 musical Kandukonden Kandukonden directed by Rajiv Menon.
The blockbuster featured Ajith alongside prominent actors Mammoty and Raguvaran and actresses Aishwarya rai and Thabu.

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.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.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.A role in the family drama, Poovellam Un Vasam  was a success commercially and critically earning a Special Best Actor Award from the Tamil Nadu State.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.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.

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.2003 saw the release of his long-delayed Ennai Thalatta Varuvala and the police-drama Anjaneya, both failing commercially. His next Jana also became a big failure, with the Saran film, Attagasam being his only hit in the period.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.



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.The film enjoyed a moderate success, scoring over Vijay's Aadhi, which also released in the same week, at the box-office.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. Furthermore, for Paramasivan and his two other projects in 2006, Ajith sported long hair, which was being grown for Bala's project, Naan Kadavul, which Ajith eventually opted out of. Similarly his next, AVM Productions's, Thirupathi directed by Perarasu performed 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.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.Moreover, the film fetched Ajith his third Filmfare Best Actor Award, on it's way to becoming a blockbuster. 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 it's brief theatrical run.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.During the shoot of the film, Ajith developed a further spinal injury, a recurrence of his problem earlier in his career.

Ajith then starred in a remake of a 1980s Rajinikanth starrer, Billa, which became a blockbuster.The film fetched critical praise for Ajith, becoming a trendsetter for stylish art direction and cinematography in India. 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. remake of only managed to do average business at the box office.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 creditted as a screenwriter along with his role of being a don neglected by his brothers in the quest for their father's will.After a seconf foray into motor racing, Ajith has signed up to star in a film directed by Gautham Menon, which is likely to start in late 2010.