Raja (born 9 April 1971), known professionally as Vignesh, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...
.
Career
Vignesh got selected to play the lead role in
Balu Mahendra
Balanathan Benjamin Mahendran (19 May 1939 13 February 2014), commonly known as Balu Mahendra, was a Sri Lankan-born Indian cinematographer, director, screenwriter and film editor who worked predominantly in Tamil cinema. Widely regarded as ...
's ''
Vanna Vanna Pookkal
''Vanna Vanna Pookkal'' () is a 1992 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film, directed by Balu Mahendra, starring Prashanth, Mounika and Vinodhini. The film, produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu, was released on 15 January 1992, and won the Nationa ...
'' (1992) but he was removed from the film after working on it for seven days and was replaced by
Prashanth
Prashanth Thiagarajan (born 6 April 1973), known professionally as Prashanth, is an Indian actor and businessman, known for his works predominantly in Tamil cinema. Besides Tamil films, he has also appeared in few Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam ...
. He made his acting debut in 1992 with the village drama film ''
Chinna Thayee''. In 1993, he acted in ''
Amma Ponnu'',
Bharathiraja
Bharathiraja (born 17 July 1941) is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with ''16 Vayathinile'', he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films. ...
's ''
Kizhakku Cheemayile
''Kizhakku Cheemayile'' () is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Bharathiraja. It stars Vijayakumar, Raadhika and Napoleon, while Vignesh, Pandiyan, and Vadivelu play supporting roles. The film involves a touching sentimenta ...
'' and
Kathir
Kathir is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter who works predominantly in Tamil cinema.
Early life
Kathir was born in kalkarai, a small village in the Radhapuram Taluk of Tirunelveli District, state of Tamil Nadu, India. Kathi ...
's ''
Uzhavan
''Uzhavan'' () is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Kathir. The film stars Prabhu and Bhanupriya, with Rambha in a cameo role (in her Tamil debut). A. R. Rahman composed the music. The film was released on 13 Nove ...
''. In 1995, Vignesh appeared in six films. He starred in ''
Chellakannu
''Chellakannu'' is a 1995 Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by N. Rathnam. The film stars Vignesh and Yuvarani. The film had musical score by Deva and was released on 12 May 1995.
Plot
Chellakannu ( Vignesh) and Chandra (Yuvarani) ...
'', which told the tragic story of a young couple caught between feuding families, and the film performed well and ran for over one hundred days at the box office. The film had featured him alongside actress Yuvarani, as did ''
Pasumpon
''Pasumpon'' is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Bharathiraja, starring Prabhu, Sivaji Ganesan, Sivakumar, Raadhika and Saranya Ponvannan. It was released on 14 April 1995.
Plot
For several years, Thangapandi is in feud w ...
'', while his ''
Nadodi Mannan
''Nadodi Mannan'' () is a 1958 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language action adventure film directed by M. G. Ramachandran in his debut as a filmmaker. He stars in dual roles alongside P. Bhanumathi, M. N. Rajam and B. Saroja Devi. P. S. Veerap ...
'' became a box office failure.
In the mid of 1990s, Vignesh's housemate
Bala, an erstwhile assistant of Balu Mahendra wrote the script of the film ''
Sethu'', then titled ''Akhilan'', and offered him the film's lead role. The film was shelved due to financial constraints. In 1997, director Bala restarted the project and Vignesh, who was busy with other commitments, was replaced by
Vikram. In 1998, Vignesh played the lead role in
J. Suresh's ''
Velai
''Velai'' () is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by J. Suresh and written by Balakumaran, starring Vignesh, Indraja and Nassar. The film, produced by J. Vasudevan, had musical score by Yuvan Shankar Raja and was released on 26 Febr ...
'' and played a supporting role in
Ravichandran Ravichandran is an Indian name. Notable people with the name include:
* Ravichandran (Tamil actor) (1942–2011)
* Ravichandran (Tamil film director) (born 1971)
* N. Ravichandran (professor) (1955), professor at IIM Ahmedabad
* N. Ravichandran, ...
's ''
Kannedhirey Thondrinal''. The following years, Vignesh played the lead role in low-budget films ''
Pudhu Kudithanam
''Pudhu Kudithanam'' is a 1999 Tamil-language comedy film directed by R. Raghuvasan, who previously directed ''Thilakam''. The film stars Vignesh and Raasi, with Latha, Manivannan, Senthil, Kovai Sarala and Shanmugasundari playing supporting ...
'' (1999) and ''
Nee Enthan Vaanam
''Nee Enthan Vaanam'' () is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language thriller film directed by R. K. Suresh. The film stars Vignesh, Reshma and Charan Raj, with Vadivelu, Rocky, Telephone Satyanarayana, Bhaskar, Kumarimuthu and Omakuchi Narasimhan playin ...
'' (2000), and played supporting roles in ''
Suyamvaram
''Suyamvaram'' () is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film starring an ensemble cast from actors in the Tamil film industry and shot by a large technical team from the industry. The film was planned by Giridharilal Nagpal who produced ...
'' (1999) and ''
Appu'' (2000).
After a hiatus of 3 years, Vignesh made a comeback with ''
Soori'' (2003). For ''Soori'', Vignesh had to tonsure his head for 70 times. His performance received mixed reviews with critics claiming that Vignesh "tends to go slightly overboard, especially when he howls aloud in agony" and "his cries seem over the top". 2003 saw the release of his long-delayed films ''
Ennai Thalatta Varuvala'' and ''Vani Mahal''. The three films went unnoticed at box office, post-release Vignesh signed two projects titled "Ilango" and "Parithi" with both failing to proceed after launch. In 2005, Vignesh appeared in two low-budget films: ''Ulla Kadathal'' and ''
Aadhikkam
''Aadhikkam'' () is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language thriller film directed by V. C. Guhanathan. The film stars Ranjith, Vignesh and Monal, with Satya Prakash, Chandra Lakshman, newcomer Aruna Giridhar and Indhu playing supporting roles. The low- ...
''. Vignesh then produced and acted in the
gangster film ''
Aacharya'' (2006) and a critic stated, "for Vignesh, it is a comeback vehicle and he has done his best". Some of the latest projects, he's been a part of are ''Avan Aval'' (2016), ''Anbukku Panjamillai'' (2016) and ''
Aaruthra'' (2018).
In 2020, he also marks the Tamil serial debut with ''
Poove Unakkaga
''Poove Unakkaga'' () is a 1996 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Vikraman. The film stars Vijay and Sangita. Actor Murali makes a guest appearance in a song in the film. The film released on 18 February 1996. ...
'' broadcast by
Sun TV.
Filmography
*''All films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.''
Television
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vignesh
Tamil male actors
Indian male film actors
Male actors from Tamil Nadu
People from Erode district
Living people
1971 births
Male actors in Tamil cinema