Vignesh

Biography:

The lead character in Balu Mahendra’s Vanna Vanna Pookkal (1992) was chosen for Vignesh, but after seven days of production, he was fired and Prashanth took over. Chinna Thayee, a 1992 film about a community, marked his acting debut. He appeared in Amma Ponnu, Kizhakku Cheemayile by Bharathiraja, and Uzhavan by Kathir in 1993. Vignesh made six cinema appearances in 1995. Chellakannu, in which he starred and which was favourably received by audiences and ran for more than a hundred days at the box office, depicted the heartbreaking tale of a young couple torn between rival families.

He was paired with actress Yuvarani in the movie, as was actor Pasumpon, but his Nadodi Mannan was a commercial flop. The script for Sethu, then known as Akhilan, was written by Vignesh’s friend Bala, a former assistant of Balu Mahendra, who also offered him the starring part. Due to budgetary limitations, the movie was shelved. Director Bala began the project in 1997, and Vikram took the role of Vignesh, who was preoccupied with other responsibilities. In 1998, Vignesh starred in J. Suresh’s Velai and appeared in Ravichandran’s Kannedhirey Thondrinal as a supporting character.

In the years that followed, Vignesh starred in low-budget films like Pudhu Kudithanam (1999) and Nee Enthan Vaanam (2000), and he also had minor parts in Suyamvaram (1999) and Appu (2000). Vignesh returned with Soori in 2003, three years after taking a break. Vignesh had to tonesure Soori’s head 70 times. It was criticised that Vignesh “tends to go slightly overboard, especially when he howls aloud in agony” and that “his cries seem over the top” for his performance, which earned mixed reviews. His long-delayed movies Vani Mahal and Ennai Thalatta Varuvala were finally released in 2003.

The three films received little attention at the box office, and following their release, Vignesh signed two projects, “Ilango” and “Parithi,” neither of which saw the light of day. Ulla Kadathal and Aadhikkam are two low-budget films Vignesh starred in in 2005. Then, in the 2006 gangster picture Aacharya, Vignesh both produced and acted. A critic said of the film, “For Vignesh, it is a comeback vehicle and he has done his best.” He recently worked on several projects, including Avan Aval (2016), Anbukku Panjamillai (2016), and Aaruthra (2018).