Vijayalakshmi (Tamil actress)

Vijayalakshmi is an Indian film actress who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. As the daughter of film director Agathiyan, Vijayalakshmi made her acting debut as a timid girl in Venkat Prabhu's Chennai 600028 (2007), before receiving further acclaim for her portrayal of another timid character in Mysskin's drama film, Anjathe (2009). After appearing in a few further lead roles, she moved on to become a film producer and an actress in television serials.[2]

Vijayalakshmi
Born	Vijayalakshmi (1982-11-30) 30 November 1982[1] Chennai, India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2007-present
Spouse(s)	Feroz Mohammed
Parent(s)	Agathiyan
Relatives	Karthika (sister) Niranjani Ahathian (sister)

Career

Vijayalakshmi began her career in the entertainment industry by hosting the show "Hello Tamizha" on the STAR Vijay channel, before being approached by her childhood friend Venkat Prabhu, to feature in an acting role in his directorial debut, Chennai 600028 (2007). Narrating the story of a local team gully cricket team, the film went on to become a surprise critical and commercial success, effectively raising the profile of the various cast and crew members associated with the project.[3] Her second film, Mysskin's crime thriller Anjathe (2008) also met with a favourable reaction from critics and audiences, with a reviewer from Sify.com praising her portrayal of timid girl, while noting "Vijayalakshmi is here to stay as the sweet and lovable girl next door [in the film industry]".[4] However, her subsequent releases including Adhe Neram Adhe Idam (2009) and Kattradhu Kalavu (2010) did not perform well at the box office.

In July 2008, Vijayalakshmi signed on to portray the leading female role in Soundarya Rajinikanth's directorial debut, the animation film Sultan: The Warrior, alongside Rajinikanth. Having signed on after Ileana D'Cruz opted out of the role, Vijayalakshmi was expected to have an animated version of her feature in the film through motion capture technology, while she would also subsequently dub for the role.[5] The film went through production delays and was briefly re-titled as Hara, while Vijayalakshmi continued to intermittently film for scenes between 2008 and 2012.[6][7] The film was later shelved, with Vijayalakshmi being replaced by Deepika Padukone when the project began again as Kochadaiiyaan (2014).[8] Despite the success of her first few films, success evaded the actress and she increasingly began to act in lower profile films, with a further highly-anticipated project titled Rendavathu Padam, being indefinitely delayed.[9] A notable project she starred in the period was the bilingual drama Attahasa (2013), which depicted the story of smuggler Veerappan. Vijayalakshmi portrayed Muthulakshmi, the smuggler's wife, and prior to release of the film, several of her scenes were cut to ensure it passed through the censor board.[10][11]

Following her marriage in September 2015, Vijayalakshmi announced her plans to quit acting in films, and instead suggested that she would look to become involved in the film production business.[12] She made an exception to her statement by accepting to play a role in the sequel of her debut film, and appeared as a bolder version of Selvi in Chennai 600028 II (2016). The film explored the life of the characters from the first part, eight years on, and became a critically and commercially successful venture.[13] During the same period, Vijayalakshmi also worked on her first film production, Pandigai (2017), directed by her husband, Feroz. Starring Kreshna and Anandhi, the film opened to mixed reviews in July 2017.[14]

In early 2018, she began acting in Nayaki, a Tamil television serial, by portraying the lead role. However, she quit the show in August 2018 citing "unavoidable reasons", and was replaced by Vidya Pradeep.[15] In late August 2018, she entered as a wildcard contestant on the reality show, Bigg Boss Tamil 2 and eventually finished as the second runner-up.[16]

Personal life

Vijayalakshmi is the daughter of film director, Agathiyan, who is best known for his Tamil romantic films in the 1990s, such as Kadhal Kottai (1996), Gokulathil Seethai (1996) and Kaadhal Kavithai (1998). Her mother, Radha, a housewife, died in 2016.[17] Vijayalakshmi has two sisters, Karthika and Niranjini, who are also involved in the entertainment industry. Karthika works as a television host, while her husband Thiru is a film director.[18] Niranjini works as a costume designer, and debuted as an actress with Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal (2020).[19]

Vijayalakshmi married her former school mate, Feroz Mohammed, in September 2015 and suggested that the couple would continue to observe their respective Hindu and Islamic faiths. Feroz later moved on to become a film director through Pandigai (2017), while the pair had a son in May 2017.[20]

Filmography

• All films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.

Actress

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2007	Chennai 600028	Selvi	Nominated, Vijay Award for Best Debut Actress
2008	Anjathe	Uthra
2008	Saroja	Girl in car	Cameo appearance
2009	Adhe Neram Adhe Idam	Janani
2010	Kattradhu Kalavu	Krishnaveni
2013	Vana Yuddham	Muthulakshmi
2013	Attahasa		Kannada film
2013	Biriyani	Rohini Varadharajan
2014	Vennila Veedu	Thenmozhi
2014	Aadama Jaichomada	Rama
2016	Chennai 600028 II	Selvi
2019	High Priestess	Pooja	Telugu Web Series
2020	Kasada Thapara	Parameswari	Filming

As producer

• Pandigai (2017)

Television

Year	Shows	Role	Channel	Notes
2018	Nayagi	Anandhi	Sun TV	Replaced by Vidya Pradeep
	Bigg Boss Tamil 2	Contestant	Vijay TV	3rd place
2019	Mr. and Mrs. Chinnathirai	Judge	Vijay TV	[21]
2019	Dum Dum Dum	Priya	Kalaignar TV	[22]

References

1. "An eventful b'day for Vijayalakshmi - Times of India". The Times of India.
2. Upadhyaya, Prakash. "Actress Vijayalakshmi marries Feroz Mohammed in a Hindu-style wedding [Photos]". International Business Times, India Edition. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
3. "My first break - Vijayalakshmi". 14 February 2009 – via www.thehindu.com.
4. "Anjathey". Sify.
5. "Rajini's new heroine! - Behindwoods Soundarya Rajinikanth Sultan The Warrior Vijayalakshmi Adhe Idam Adhe Neram Anjathe Tamil movie Gallery Images Stills picture".
6. "Rajini sir is great: Vijayalakshmi - Tamil News". IndiaGlitz.com. 13 November 2010.
7. "Vijayalakshmi's connection with Rajini's Sultan".
8. "Refuses to dub". www.kollytalk.com. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
9. "I Wanted A Glamorous Makeover - Vijayalakshmi - Rendavathu Padam - Tamil Movie News - Behindwoods.com".
10. Manigandan, K. R. (16 March 2012). "Shot Cuts" – via www.thehindu.com.
11. "Ready for release". www.sify.com. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
12. "Chennai 600028 fame Tamil actress Vijayalakshmi to quit acting once and for all".
13. Purushothaman, Kirubhakar (20 July 2016). "Chennai 28 II is the reason I came back to acting: Vijayalakshmi". Deccan Chronicle.
14. "Vijayalakshmi has gained confidence to produce more films with Pandigai". 30 June 2017.
15. "Vijayalakshmi quits from popular serial 'Nayagi' - Times of India". The Times of India.
16. "Bigg Boss Tamil 2: Wild-card entry Vijayalakshmi avoids Mahat Raghavendra". 25 August 2018.
17. "Director Agathiyan's wife Radha passes away".
18. "Two National Award-winning directors in Mr Chandramouli - Times of India". The Times of India.
20. "Actress Vijayalakshmi is blessed with a baby boy".
21. "Mr and Mrs. Chinnathirai Grand Finale to premiere on May 19". The Times of India.
22. "I have been waiting to do a script like this: Vijayalakshmi". The Times of India.

External links

• Vijayalakshmi on IMDb