Vijay is an Indian film actor who works in Tamil cinema. He made his cinematic debut in 1984 with Vetri, directed by his father, S. A. Chandrasekhar.[1] After appearing in Chandrasekhar's films as an uncredited child artist, Vijay made his debut as a lead actor with Naalaiya Theerpu (1992).[1] He followed it with a supporting role opposite Vijayakanth in Sendhoorapandi (1993).[2] Vijay went on to play lead roles in his father's directorial ventures such as Rasigan (1994) and Deva (1995).[2][3] Most of them were unsuccessful critically and commercially.[4][5] Vijay's first breakthrough was in 1996 with Vikraman's romance film, Poove Unakkaga.[2][4] His subsequent films, Vasanth's Nerrukku Ner (1997) and Fazil's Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997), were critically and commercially successful.[4][6] His performance in the latter won him the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor.[4] Thulladha Manamum Thullum (1999), where he played a cable TV operator who becomes responsible for the loss of his lover's eyesight and later helps her, gained him the reputation of a romantic hero.[7][8]