Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar (born 22 June 1974), known professionally as Vijay, is an Indian actor, dancer, playback singer and philanthropist who works in Tamil cinema. Referred to by fans and media as "Thalapathy" (commander), Vijay is the highest paid actor in Tamil cinema. By 2017, he became the second-highest grossing actor in Tamil cinema history, behind veteran Rajinikanth. Vijay has acted in 64 films as a lead actor and won numerous awards, including eight Vijay Awards, three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, and a SIIMA Award. He has been included seven times in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list, based on the earnings of Indian celebrities. At 10 years old, Vijay's first role was in the drama Vetri (1984); he continued to perform as a child actor in films until Ithu Engal Neethi, directed by his father S. A. Chandrasekhar, and then featured as the lead for the first time in Naalaiya Theerpu. The success of his masala film Thirumalai changed his on-screen persona to that of an action hero. He appeared as a kabaddi player in Ghilli, which went on to become the first Tamil film to earn ₹500 million (Indian rupees). He continued to achieve success during the 2000s with cult films including Thirupaachi, Sachein, Sivakasi and Pokkiri. In the 2010s, Vijay achieved further critical and commercial success with blockbusters including Thuppakki, Kaththi, Theri, Mersal, Sarkar and Bigil .