Actor Aari Arjuna has been declared the winner of the fourth season of Bigg Boss Tamil, the reality show hosted by actor-politician Kamal Haasan. The win was announced during the grand finale that took place on Sunday, January 17, 2021. Aari Arjuna beat the other finalists - Balaji Murugadoss, Ramya Pandian, Som Shekar and Rio Raj - to lift the trophy and take away the grand prize of Rs 50 lakhs, as he won audience appreciation for a show that lasted 105 days! So who is Aari Arjuna and what has been his ticket to fame before Bigg Boss Tamil 4? Bigg Boss Tamil Season 4 Teaser: Kamal Haasan is 'Back to Work' As He Returns to Host the Reality Show (Watch Video).

Of course, Tamil movie buffs would find him to be a very well-known face having been part of some popular movies. Born 12 February, 1986, Aari was someone who was bit by acting bug long back. He entered Kollywood with a background in theatres, and made his debut as a movie actor in the 2005 Tamil film Aadum Koothu. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker TV Chandran, Aadum Koothu had Aari play the role of Muthu, who was the fiance of the female protagonist, played by Malayalam actress Navya Nair.

Aadum Koothu, also starring Cheran, Prakash Raj and Pandiarajan, went on to win National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. While there was acclaim for his first film, it took Aari five more years to get his second film released - Thamir's Rettaisuzhi, that was produced by Shankar. Bigg Boss Tamil 4: Balaji Murugadoss Makes Shocking Revelations About His Parents On Kamal Haasan’s Show.

In Rettaisuzhi, Aari was one of the young leads, though the focus was on the characters of veterans K Balachander and Bharathiraja. Rettaisuzhi failed to work at the box office and was also poorly received by the critics, though Aari's role was noted.

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While he played the usual romantic lead role in the 2012 film Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey, it was the 2013 thriller-drama Nedunchaalai that gave him his breakout success. The sleeper hit of the year, the movie, directed by N Krishna, had Aari and Sshivada in the lead roles. Aari played the role of a fugitive dacoit Murugan who falls in love with a Malayali girl running a hotel, but their love story sees some dark turns. The movie also starred actors like Prashant Narayanan and Salim Kumar. Nedunchaalai gave very positive reviews to Aari's performance, with some comparing him to Karthi's in Paruthiveeran. He also won the Best Actor at the Film Fans Association 62nd Annual Award & V4 Awards.

Another popular film of the actor was the 2015 horror film, Maya, that sees him cast opposite Lady Superstar Nayantara.

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Before Bigg Boss, his last film as the lead came out in 2018 - Nagesh Thiraiyarangam. Again a horror film, Nagesh Thiraiyarangam was an average grosser at the box office.

Talking about his personal life, Aari got married to Nadhiya - an HR professional - in 2015, and two years later, they had a daughter Riya, born on February 5, 2017. He is also into social activism and is very immersed in activities promoting Tamil culture.

Aari Arjuna With Wife and Daughter (Photo Credit: Twitter)

With Aari winning viewer's love enough to bag the Bigg Boss Tamil 4 title, let's hope that we will see him in more movies. Currently, he has three films in production, as per reports.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 18, 2021 10:56 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).