Menu

Vijayakumar (Tamil actor) Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Quick Info→
Age: 80 Years
Caste: Vellalar
Father: Rangasamy Pillai

A photo of Vijayakumar

Bio/Wiki
Birth namePanchaksharam Rangasamy Pillai
Profession(s)Actor and Politician
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters- 175 cm
in meters- 1.75 m
in feet & inches- 5’ 9”
Eye ColourDark Brown
Hair ColourSalt and Pepper
Career
DebutTamil Film: Sri Valli (1961); as Lord Muruga
Vijayakumar as Bala Murugan
Telugu Film: Geethanjali (1989); as Geethanjali's father
A poster of Geethanjali, a Tamil film
Malayalam Film: Aayirappara (1993); as Chettiyar
A poster of Aayirappara, a 1993 Malayalam film
Tamil TV show: Kokila Enge Pogiraal (1997)
A poster of Kokila Enge Pogiraal
Telugu TV show: Talambralu (2016)
A poster of the 2016 TV serial Talambralu
Awards• Cinema Express Award for best actor for the Tamil film Cheran Pandiyan (1991)
• Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for best actor for the Tamil film Kizhakku Cheemayile (1993)
• Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for best actor for the Tamil film Anthimanthaarai (1995)
Politics
Political Party• All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) (from late 1970s till 2016)
A logo of AIADMK
• Bharatiya Janata Party (2016 - present)
BJP flag
Personal Life
Date of Birth29 August 1943 (Sunday)
Age (as of 2023)80 Years
BirthplaceNattuchalai village, Madras Presidency, British India (now Tamil Nadu, India)
Zodiac signVirgo
Nationality• British Indian (1943 - 1947)
• Indian (1947 - present)
HometownNattuchalai village, Tamil Nadu, India
CasteVellalar
Controversies• Accusations of beating Vanitha: Vanitha Vijayakumar, the eldest daughter of Vijayakumar and Manjula, accused her father of resorting to violence when she had gone to pick up her son from their home after the Diwali vacation in 2010. According to her, when she visited her parents to take her son back, her father, who was intoxicated, did not allow Vanitha and her husband to take their son back and when she protested against her father, she was physically assaulted by Vijayakumar and Arun Vijay, her younger brother. [1]Chitramala Narrating the incident during an interview, she said,
"My husband and I approached the police immediately after the incident occurred on November 7 and met DGP Letika Saran on Wednesday. Our complaint was against my brother Arun, who assaulted me and my husband when we tried to pick up my son Vijay Sri Hari from my father’s house in Maduravoyal.”
In the same year, she lodged a complaint against her father and brother following which she claimed that Vijayakumar married Manjula, her mother, for her money and status in the Tamil film industry and claimed that her mother became an alcoholic because of her father's constant physical, mental, and emotional torture. Talking about it, Vanitha said,
"I moved out of my family at the age of 16 unable to bear the immense torture from my father and mother. They forced me to indulge in distressful activities. My mother Manjula was made drunkard by my father to get hold of her property and now all the properties have been registered in the names of Muthukannu(Vijayakumar’s first wife) and actor Arun Vijay.”
After Vanitha levied a series of allegations against her father and brother, Vijayakumar called the allegations false and baseless and in his defence, he told the media that the day on which Vanitha claimed that she was battered by her brother, Arun Vijay was on a flight to the US. [2]Spicy India During an interview, he said,
"She is not my daughter anymore, she would feel the parent’s pain only when her children grow up. I am not sure why she is behaving so oddly and like this. something has definitely happened to her. Vanitha claimed that Arun Vijay and a set of goons had threatened her against lodging any complaint after assaulting her. However, Arun was on a flight to America at that time.”

• The property dispute: Following the death of his second wife, Manjula Vijayakumar, Vijayakumar issued a statement in which he disowned Vanitha Vijayakumar. Vijayakumar lodged an FIR against Vanitha in 2018 in which he claimed that despite repeated notices, Vanitha had refused to vacate the house, which belonged to him following which Vanitha filed a petition in the Madras High Court in which she claimed that she had equal rights to the ownership of the house as she had spent a majority of her savings in the construction of the house in the 1990s. [3]The News Minute While giving an interview, Vanitha talked about it and said,
"I am staying at my mother’s house. The office address of my production house is also present there. No one has objected to it so far. We regularly give the house out for shooting of different types of films. Out of nowhere, they seem to have gotten an offer from a producer to lend the house on contract. My dad asked me to vacate the house. Even after my mother passed away, I’ve been staying there, it is convenient for me as well. I stay with my daughter. My dad stopped the shooting and pressured me to vacate the house. I told him that I am willing to stop the shooting of the movies but it is not right to ask me to leave the house.”
Relationships & More
Marital StatusMarried
Affairs/GirlfriendsManjula Vijayakumar (actress)
A photo of Vijayakumar with Manjula
Marriage Date• 1969 (first wife)
• 1976 (second wife)
Family
Wife/Spouse• Muthukannu Vellalar (first wife, homemaker)
A photo of Vijayakumar with his first wife
• Manjula Vijayakumar (second wife, actress)
Vijayakumar with his second wife Manjula

Note: Manjula Vijayakumar died in 2013.
ChildrenSon- 1
• Arun Vijay (actor)
A photo of Vijayakumar with his son and wife Muthukunna
Daughter(s)- 5
• Vanitha Vijayakumar (actress)
Vanitha Vijayakumar
• Preetha Vijayakumar (actress)
• Sridevi Vijayakumar (actress)
• Kavitha Vijayakumar (actress)
• Anitha Vijayakumar (doctor)
A photo of Vijayakumar with his son and daughters

Note: Vijayakumar disowned Vanitha Vijayakumar in 2013. [4]Behindwoods
ParentsFather- Rangasamy Pillai
Mother- Chinnammal
Vijayakumar with his parents

A photo of Vijayakumar with his son

Some Lesser Known Facts About Vijayakumar

  • Vijayakumar is an Indian actor and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician who has not only worked in the Tamil film and entertainment industry but also in several Malayalam and Telugu films and TV serials. In September 2022, he acted in the Tamil film Ponniyin Selvan: I (PS1).
  • Vijayakumar started his acting career as a child artist in 1961 when he portrayed the childhood of Lord Murugan in the Kollywood film Sri Valli after which he bagged several roles in Tamil films like Mahaveera Bheeman (1962), Thaaye Unakkaga (1965), and Kandhan Karunai (1967).
  • In 1973, Vijayakumar appeared as a collector named Shankar in Ponnukku Thanga Manasu, a Tamil film.
  • Vijayakumar landed the role of a drunkard doctor in the 1974 Kollywood film Samarpanam. He, later on, was seen in another Tamil film titled Aval Oru Thodar Kathai in which he played the role of a man named Tilak.
  • In 1976, Vijayakumar appeared in the Kollywood film Panayam and played the role of Captain Murali, an Indian Army officer. In the same year, he appeared in two more Tamil films titled Oru Oodhappu Kan Simittugiradhu (as Sasi) and Mogam Muppadhu Varusham (as Ravi Shankar).
  • In the Tamil film Deepham, Vijayakumar landed the role of a man named Kannan. The film was released in 1977. In the same year, he acted in Tamil films like Unnai Suttrum Ulagam (as Sekar), Indru Pol Endrum Vaazhga (as Kumar), and Ilaya Thalaimurai (as Pandu).
  • In 1978, he acted in two Tamil films titled Shankar Salim Simon and Aayiram Jenmangal as Shankar and Ravi.
  • He was seen in several 1979 Kollywood films like Sigappukkal Mookkuthi, Velum Mayilum Thunai, Azhage Unnai Aarathikkiren, and more.
  • Vijayakumar appeared in the 1980 Tamil-Telugu film Kaali. While he played the role of a character named GK for the Tamil version of the film, Chiranjeevi played the role of GK for the Telugu version of the film.
  • He played the role of a man named Ranjith in Sawal, which is a Tamil film that was released in 1981.
  • In 1983, he appeared in two Tamil films titled Sattam and Apoorva Sahodarigal. In Sattam, he played the role of a character named Michael Johnny.
  • Vijayakumar acted in Paattukku Oru Thalaivan, a Tamil film, where he played the role of Marudhanayagam, a politician.
  • Vijayakumar made his debut in the Kannada film industry with the 1989 film Geethanjali as the father of Geethanjali, who was the main protagonist in the film.
  • Vijayakumar appeared as Periya Gounder in Cheran Pandian, a Tamil film that was released in 1991 and won the Cinema Express Award for his acting in the film.

    A poster of the Tamil award-winning film Cheran Pandian

    A poster of the Tamil award-winning film Cheran Pandian

  • In 1992, he appeared in his second Telugu film titled Ghatana following which he was seen in a Tamil film titled Deiva Vaakku and played the role of a man named Vallatharai.
  • He entered the Malayali film industry (Mollywood) in 1993 with Aayirappara in which he appeared as a character named Chettiyar.
  • In the same year, he won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for his role as Maayaandi Thevan in the Kollywood film Kizhakku Cheemayile after which he appeared in several Tamil films including Adharmam, Rasigan, Senthamizh Selvan, and more.

    A poster of the Tamil film titled Kizhakku Cheemayile

    A poster of the Tamil film titled Kizhakku Cheemayile

  • In the 1996 Kollywood film Engirundho Vandhan, he played the role of a police commissioner. Later, he appeared in another Tamil film titled Anthimanthaarai.

    A poster of the Tamil film Anthimanthaarai which was released in 1996

    A poster of the Tamil film Anthimanthaarai which was released in 1996

  • In the film Bharathi Kannamma, a 1997 Tamil film, he played the role of a character named Vellaisamy Thevar Zamindar.
  • In the same year, Vijayakumar entered the Tamil television industry by making a debut with the TV serial Kokila Enge Pogiraal.
  • From 2000 to 2010, he landed many roles in Tamil and Telugu films like Sandhitha Velai, Simharasi, Vasu, Kadhal Virus, Solla Solla Inikkum, and many more.
  • In 2009, he appeared in the Sun TV show Thangam as Rajaramchandra Raghunath (aka Ayyaa).
  • He was given a role in Konjam Sirippu Konjam Kobam, which is a 2011 Tamil romantic film.
  • In the 2013 film Singam II, he landed a role of a politician.
  • In the same year, he played the role of a character named Vetrivel Annachi in the Tamil TV show Vamsam.
  • In 2014, he was seen in the Tamil film Lingaa, which had Rajinikanth in the leading role.
  • In 2015, he appeared in the Kollywood film Aambala after which he was seen in several 2016 Tamil films like Janatha Garage, Ilamai Oonjal, and Nenu Sailaja.
  • Vijayakumar debuted in the Telugu television industry in 2016 after he landed a role in the Gemini TV serial Talambralu. He worked in the soap opera till 2017.
  • In the same year, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after leaving All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) that he had joined when Marudhur Gopalan Ramachandran was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Talking about joining the BJP, Vijayakumar said,

    I am known in all the southern states by virtue of my acting in all the regional language movies. People in Tamil Nadu know me well. I also applaud our Prime Minister Shree Narendra Modi for the excellent policies that he has implemented in the country taking it towards progression. I did not join the party aiming to contest the poll but wanted to strive for the BJP’s victory in the upcoming elections in the state.”

    Vijayakumar with MGR, who was the former CM of Tamil Nadu

    Vijayakumar with MGR, who was the former CM of Tamil Nadu

    Vijayakumar's photo taken when he joined the BJP

    Vijayakumar’s photo taken when he joined the BJP

  • He made an appearance as a politician in the 2017 Tamil film Singam III after which he was seen in the Kollywood action comedy film Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan, where he made a guest appearance.

    A still from the Tamil film Singam III

    A still from the Tamil film Singam III

  • Later, in the same year, he appeared in Nandini, a Tamil-Kannada supernatural fiction soap opera as Rajashekar.
  • He appeared as a politician in the 2018 Telugu film Touch Chesi Chudu.
  • Vijayakumar acted in two Telugu films titled Prati Roju Pandage and Entha Manchivaadavuraa. The films were released in 2019.
  • In the 2019 Sun TV soap opera titled Rasaathi, he appeared as Shanmugasundaram.
  • In the 2022 children’s comedy-drama Kollywood film Oh My Dog, Vijayakumar played the role of Shanmugam.

    A poster of the Tamil film Oh My Dog

    A poster of the Tamil film Oh My Dog

  • In Oru Oorla Rendu Rajakumari, a 2022 Tamil TV show, Vijayakumar made a guest appearance.
  • On 30 September 2022, Vijayakumar was seen in the critically acclaimed Tamil epic period action drama film Ponniyin Selvan: I (PS1) in which he portrayed Vijayalaya Chola, a South Indian ruler who had established the Chola Empire. The film was directed by Mani Ratnam and featured the famous Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

    A poster of the 2022 Kollywood film Ponniyin Selvan: I (PS1)

    A poster of the 2022 Kollywood film Ponniyin Selvan: I (PS1)

  • Vijayakumar has appeared in more than five Tamil films in which his son, Arun Vijay, was in the lead role.
  • He has worked as a vice president in the South Indian Nadigar Sangam, which is an actors’ association.
  • While giving an interview, Vanitha Vijayakumar told the media that Vijayakumar owns a licensed gun.

References/Sources:[+]