Vijay! Naam toh suna hi hoga? Zanjeer, Deewar, Trishul, Shakti, Don… Amitabh Bachchan may have made it a household name back in the 1970s, with many of his angry-young-men characters being called Vijay, but we have now got some real-life Vijays blazing the screen too. We take a look at five actors who share the name ‘Vijay’ and are a force to reckon with for their talent, personality, style and choice of roles.
Vijay Sethupathi
The 46-year-old accountant-turned-actor is perhaps the most reserved public persona on this list. What is so appealing about Vijay Sethupathi, apart from his intense gaze and charm, is his low-key off-screen personality. This supremely talented Tamil actor has shown his range through a variety of roles in films such as Super Deluxe, Vikram Vedha, Maharaja, 96, Soodhu Kavvum, Kadaisi Vivasayi, Iraivi and Pizza.
More recently, Raj & DK’s Prime Video series Farzi, Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Jawan and Sriram Raghavan’s thriller Merry Christmas opposite Katrina Kaif have pushed Sethupathi on the national stage and made him a pan-India star. No wonder Sethupathi-starrer Maharaj tops Netflix India chart.
Vijay Varma
The 38-year-old FTII Pune graduate has shot to stardom so fast that one actually forgets his first impactful turn on the big screen was a small role in Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s Pink, starring Amitabh Bachchan, less than 10 years ago. Vijay Varma’s breakout role was as Moeen, a vulnerable man from the streets in Zoya Akhtar’s 2019 film Gully Boy, and he has only stepped up his game since. Varma killed it as Alia Bhatt’s menacing, abusive husband in the Netflix film Darlings and then as the crafty criminal in the Prime Video series Dahaad.
He looked absolutely comfortable treading the thin line between good and evil in several OTT series and films, like Mirzapur Season 2, Lust Stories 2, Jaane Jaan and Murder Mubarak. Next up from Varma is the Netflix mini-series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack where he plays the pilot of a Delhi-bound hijacked airplane.
Vijay Deverakonda
Telugu actor Vijay Deverakonda is a heartthrob and one of the highest-paid stars of the South film industries. The Arjun Reddy and Geetha Govindam main man is famous for his roguish charm as well as his ability to become anyone in the crowd. A self-made star with no family connections to the film world, Deverakonda has made a special place in his fans’ hearts for his groundedness and humble background. The 35-year-old owns the production house King of the Hill Entertainment and the clothing brand Rowdy Wear, and is associated with various philanthropic causes.
Thalapathy Vijay
Joseph Vijay, popularly known as Thalapathy Vijay (‘thalapathy’ means ‘commander’ in Tamil), is an icon of Tamil cinema with massive box-office hits such as Thuppakki, Kaththi, Mersal and Master under his belt. Thalapathy Vijay started out as a child actor and has consolidated his star status through a career spanning over three decades. Known for his dancing style, the 50-year-old has acted in many films directed by his father SA Chandrasekhar and gained a dedicated fan base across the globe. With the sci-fi action film The Greatest of All Time up for release, Thalapathy Vijay is all set for his 68th movie outing.
Vijay Raaz
This former National School of Drama alumnus has made a name as a character actor over the years. In his initial days, he was directed by Ram Gopal Verma in several films and his ‘kauwa biryani’ scene from Jeeva’s 2004 film Run, co-starring Abhishek Bachchan, is still a hit on YouTube. Vijay Raaz’s stellar performances in Monsoon Wedding, Delhi Belly and Gully Boy cemented his scene-stealing abilities in the later years. His recent work in the Prime Video series Made in Heaven and Kabir Khan’s sports drama Chandu Champion make us believe that nobody could have played those characters better than him.
