Dropping out of school to become a four-wheeler mechanic and a garment exporter, taking first steps into the modeling world, handling acting schedules and race track timings at the same time, living on the edge- he has lived life as he wanted. For him, destiny was a choice not a chance. Looking back at a film career that started in 1992 with Prema Pustagam (Telugu), he has managed to create a space for himself, a huge fan following and a title that sits gracefully on his radiant persona. That’s why today is worth celebrating for everyone who enjoys watching Tamil cinema. Happy Birthday Ajith Kumar- Tamil cinema’s ‘Ultimate Star’.

Life as Ajith is never easy! For some inexplicable reason, failure and success seem to alternate with regularity for this star, especially in the past few years. And Ajith never wants it easy, after all, at heart he is a racer who is willing to take all the hits in the fast lane. He never has denied failures, nor has he flaunted his success, he has carried them with the same dignity and remained surprisingly low key and media shy for a Kollywood star. At times these might have worked against him but he chose not to change. That is the reason his fans, huge in numbers have also not changed, sticking with him through the good and the bad, the thick and the thin.

As an actor, Ajith has done a spectrum of roles. Right from the college boy, the chocolate lover, angry young man, struggling middle class youngster, family man, psycho, cop, gangster and many more of the limited range of characters that a regular Kollywood hero is offered. To pick a few is difficult but Kadhal Kottai, Vaali and Mugavari are the films that first come to mind when one thinks of the movies that set him on the path to being the Ultimate Star. In spite of having proved himself in roles of varying demands there remain people who doubt whether Ajith really belongs in the big league. Quite a few failures in the past years have contributed to it but criticism directed towards Ajith has always had a dismissive edge to it. It might be out of sheer frustration from the fact of such a talented young actor walking into the wrong script over and over again, but it has often shifted focus away from the real picture of what Ajith can do when armed with the right script. Based on all that he has done in is nearly 20 year long career, Ajith’s acting skills must never be questioned. May be he is not an acting genius in the way critics use the term, but Ajith is indeed a presence on screen and it is time that this be acknowledged instead of looking at him only through his last movie.

May 1 2007 to May 1 2008. The last one year in Ajith’s life has been great. Though it might have started with the lingering taste of Aalwar’s disappointment, all that changed with Kreedom. We all saw it and said together that this was undoubtedly Ajith’s best ever performance on screen. A role immortalized by one of India’s finest actors recreated by one of Tamil cinema’s most vibrant stars. Kreedom was undoubtedly a crowning glory for Ajith. But that was just the beginning. Emulating the Superstar is no mean game and might give jitters to even the best in the business. To be Billa is not everyone’s cup of coffee but Ajith proved that he can hold it. Backed by a solid team, he produced what we think is one of the finest tight rope walks in recent times. Billa broke records and more importantly a few detractors’ predictions. Ajith had arrived! Of course, he had arrived a long time back, in fact many times, but this time we think he has arrived on a different plane. But the best thing in the past year definitely must be fatherhood. Blessed with a daughter, Ajith must have bee the happiest man on the planet. Now he has Aegan and a project with Gautham to follow. Not to mention the MGR award that he received from the state government- life has been good.

The one thing that many people don’t like or want Ajith to change is his choice of scripts and movies. We don’t like to see a star of his stature in the hands of an immature director and then shouldering the blame for something that would have gone wrong anyway. But we must also know that at heart Ajith is still a racer, living life on the edge. There is only one way that a racer knows, take the road, the corners or the choices that appears before you; in the fast lane you don’t pause to think twice. Yes, there have been bad roads and blind turns and they have led to problems. But for every problem there is a pit-stop, a change of tyres, refueling, and the racer always knows where the car has to reach- the chequered flag. No doubt, Ajith the racer and Ajith the Ultimate Star always know the way to the chequered flag and a winning finish. Happy Birthday.

[Source: Behindwoods]