Ajith Kumar(Padma Bhushan)
S. Ajith Kumar (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. To date, he has starred in over 61 films, and won four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. In addition to his acting career, Ajith is also an occasional racing driver and participated in the MRF Racing series (2010) and having competed in circuits around India in places such as Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. He is one among very few Indians to race in the international arena and in Formula championships. Based on the annual earnings of Indian celebrities, he was included in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list three times. Ajith began his career with a small role in the 1990 Tamil romantic drama En Veedu En Kanavar. After his success in Rajavin Parvaiyile, his first major breakthrough was Aasai (1995), Ajith established himself as a romantic hero with Kadhal Kottai (1996), Kaadhal Mannan (1998) and Aval Varuvala (1998), and established himself as an action hero starting with the film Amarkalam (1999). Ajith's dual portrayal of twin brothers—where one is deaf-mute—in S. J. Suryah's Vaali (1999) won him his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. He earned critical acclaim for his dual roles in the vigilante film Citizen (2001). He was also praised for his dual role performance in K. S. Ravikumar’s Villain (2002) where he won his second Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Tamil. In 2006, he starred in K. S. Ravikumar's Varalaru, in which he played three roles including one of a classical Bharatanatyam dancer. It became the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2006, and earned him another Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.The following year he starred in two remakes—Kireedam (2007) and Billa (2007), both of which earned him critical acclaim. Ajith played an antagonist in his 50th film Mankatha (2011), which became one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time.His next release, Billa II (2012), was Tamil cinema's first prequel.
Besides his acting career, Ajith is also an occasional racing driver, competing in circuits around India in places such as Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. He is one among very few Indians to race in the International arena and in FIA championships. He has also been abroad for various races, including Germany and Malaysia. He drove in the 2003 Formula Asia BMW Championships. He raced in the 2010 Formula 2 Championship along with two other Indians, Armaan Ebrahim and Parthiva Sureshwaren.
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 twelfth.
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. The decision to be involved in the sport was made after Ajith's film directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon was delayed, allowing him to participate in the whole season. Prior to signing up, he 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.
Ajith Kumar debuted with his own newly-formed team Ajith Kumar Racing in the FIA 24H Series in the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup Category. This also marks his return to racing after a 15-year gap and reportedly shed 25 kilograms in preparation for the race.
He participated alongside Fabian Duffieux, Mathieu Detry & Cameron McLeod. The team secured third place in the 991 category, and he also received the Spirit of the Race recognition in the GT4 category.
Actor Ajith Kumar received the Padma Bhushan award in January 2025, a few months after winning the Dubai 24H racing event. The Padma Bhushan is India's third-highest civilian honor.
Ajith is passionate about UAVs and drones. Recently he was appointed as the test pilot and UAV system advisor by Madras Institute of Technology for Medical Express-2018 UAV Challenge.
In November 2023, Ajith started 'Venus Motorcycle Tours', a motorcycle touring agency.
Ajith has also been abroad for various races, including Germany and Malaysia. He drove in the 2003 Formula Asia BMW Championships. He raced in the 2010 Formula 2 Championship along with two Indians, Armaan Ebrahim and Parthiva Sureshwaren. In 2025, he became a recipient of Padma Bhushan.
Main article:List of awards and nominations received by Ajith Kumar
Main article:Ajith Kumar filmography
a. Kireedam was a remake of the 1989 Malayalam film while Billa was a remake of the Tamil film of the same name.
b.The film was a prequel to his 2007 film of the same name.
1. "Ajith Kumar - Forbes India Magazine". Forbes India. archieved from original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
2.Kamath, Sudhish; Kannan, Ramya; Kumar, S.Shiva; Oppili, P. (29 December 2000). "Talk of the town". Hindu. Archived from the original on 31 December 2016.
3.Saraswathi, S. (5 February 2015). "Ajith's Top 10 Hits". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2016.
4.Raghavan, Nikhil (16 July 2011). "What's on the cards?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 31 December 2016.
5."Mankatha takes best opening of 2011". Sify. 2 September 2011. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015.
6.Raghavan, Nikhil (29 April 2012). "The don of summer". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016.
This page was last edited on 9 February 2025, at 03:30 (UTC).