Ajith Kumar's birthday: Revisiting earliest roles of his career
In a career spanning over three decades, superstar Ajith Kumar has built a solid fan following on the ground, an accomplishment very few stars can boast of. He started his journey in showbiz with a minor role in En Veedu En Kanavar and from then on, went on to headline over 60 films. On his 52nd birthday, let's revisit some of his earliest movies.
'Amaravathi'
Amaravathi marked Ajith's first leading role as the protagonist and he shared the screen space with Kalyan Kumar and Nassar. Even though the film's female lead Sanghavi was a newcomer as well, the film met with a positive response critically and commercially. A review by The Indian Express read, "It's a fairly engaging entertainer that has romance, suspense, and sentiments in the proper proportions."
'Prema Pusthakam'
Prema Pusthakam, which also featured Kanchan and Murali Mohan, remains Ajith's only Telugu film so far! Partly directed by Gollapudi Srinivas and later completed by his father Gollapudi Maruthi Rao (due to the former's demise), it tells the story of a young couple who go through hardships after the woman is accused of an old man's murder. It was felicitated with three Nandi Awards!
'Aasai'
Aasai, a romantic thriller, was directed by Vasanth and produced by Mani Ratnam and is considered a watershed moment in Ajith's career since it catapulted him to great acclaim in Tamil cinema. A critical and commercial success, it subsequently clinched three awards at the Tamil Nadu State Awards. The film later birthed a Hindi remake by the name of Pyaar Zindagi Hai.
'Kadhal Kottai'
Kadhal Kottai was a multistarrer that co-starred Devayani (Bharathi), Heera Rajagopal (Pooveli), Karan (Sooran), and Thalaivasal Vijay (Panchami). A recipient of three National Awards (Best Feature Film in Tamil, Best Direction, Best Screenplay), this critically acclaimed drama spawned remakes in Hindi (Sirf Tum), Bengali (Hothat Brishti), and Kannada (Yaare Neenu Cheluve). It was directed by director-screenwriter-producer Agathiyan (Hum Ho Gaye Aapke).
