Chiyaan Vikram Birthday Special: From Thala Ajith to Ben Kingsley, 7 Actors for Whom Cobra Star Lent His Deep Baritone to Before Achieving Superstardom (LatestLY Exclusive)

Every Tamil movie buff must be knowing that Chiyaan Vikram, one of the biggest superstars of Kollywood, didn't have it easy when it comes to his acting career. He didn't start off with a bang. Starting off as a model and then a stint in Doordarshan serial, Vikram's career as a leading man didn't exactly take off on a smooth runway. After early flops, Vikram has been working as second leads in Tamil and Malayalam cinema. ‘Chiyaan’ Vikram Birthday: 5 Best Films of the Kollywood Superstar That Are a Must Watch.

He has also been working as dubbing artiste lending his baritone to some very popular actors. Till 2000, he has done occasional dubbing for stars. Interestingly, it was in 1999 that Vikram got his breakout success as the main lead with the critically acclaimed Sethu. And in 2001, Vikram established himself as a superstar with the blockbuster success of Dhill. After which there was no looking back for Vikram, as he went on to give big hits in films like Gemini, Dhool, Saamy, Anniyan, Thaandavam, I etc. For his fantastic performance in the 2005 film Pithamagan, Vikram also won the National Award for the Best Actor, a time when National Film Awards had still not lost its credibility. Chiyaan Vikram Gets the Special Birthday Gift from Ajay Gnanamuthu! ‘Cobra’ Director Releases #VikramBDayCDP on Twitter.

As we salute this inspiring rags-to-riches story of Vikram, let's look back to his early career, especially his work as a voiceover artiste, and look at some of the popular actors who benefitted from his deep voice. Starting off with...

Thala Ajith