A. L. Vijay
| A. L. Vijay | |
|---|---|
| Born | Chennai, Tamilnadu |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Spouse(s) | Amala Paul (2014–2016) |
| Parent(s) | A. L. Azhagappan |
A. L. Vijay, credited by his mononym Vijay, is an Indian film director who works in the Tamil film industry. A disciple of Priyadarshan, he debuted as director with films like Kireedam and critically acclaimed Madrasapattinam. Vijay later directed big budget films Deiva Thirumagal and Thaandavam, starring Vikram in both films. His father A. L. Azhagappan was the President of Tamil Nadu Producers Council and appeared in the film Eesan. His brother Udhaya has also starred in Tamil films.
Prior to directing films, Vijay was a successful advertisement filmmaker with the Mumbai-based banner Venus Productions, completing more than 100 ad films. His State Bank of India commercial won CNBC’s Best Corporate Advertisement Award in 2009. Vijay has claimed that "advertisements teach you how to translate a story idea onto screen with maximum impact in minimum time" and is influenced by the ad works of Priyadarshan, Prahlad Kakkar and Babu Shankar. In 2003, he began his career in feature films by joining Priyadarshan as an assistant director in his films.
He made his directorial debut with Kireedam in 2007, a remake of the 1989 film of the same name directed by Sibi Malayil and written by A. K. Lohithadas. Vijay's version featured Ajith Kumar in the lead role with Trisha Krishnan, Rajkiran, Saranya and Vivek also a part of the cast, while the cinematographer was Tirru, music was composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar and the film was edited by Anthony. Vijay revealed that he "reworked about 80 per cent" from the original version. The film opened to positive reviews with a critic from Sify.com citing that "Kireedam is quality cinema, one that is daringly different from the run-of-the mill films" claiming that Vijay had "a lot of guts and conviction to make a realistic film". The reviewer from The Hindu also praised the film labelling that "Vijay has neatly packaged a strong storyline with a sensibly balanced mix of sentiment and action", but claimed that "Vijay could have worked on the lead character more". The final scene in the film was changed after release from a sad to an upbeat ending after the producers felt that the original scene may keep audiences away. The film consequently went on to become a profitable venture at the box office. Vijay then returned to work as an assistant to Priyadarshan in his award-winning Kanchivaram by helping with the dialogues and described his work in the project as "a liberating experience".
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