First Blockbuster Movies of 7 Tamil Heroes Which Made Them Superstars

Yes, we call Kushi to be "the" film that made Vijay into the Ilayathalapathi that he is today. It is a fact that Vijay's breakthrough films were Poove Unakkaga (1996) and Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997), but these movies didn't put him as an actor, who has all the potential to be among the biggest "mass-stars" of Kollywood. And that was done for him by the 2002 film Kushi. It was this romantic-action-comedy which made it clear to everyone that Vijay is not just another actor but a star who can easily be one of the most influential and followed film star of Tamil cinema. 

Ajith began his Kollywood career as a lead actor in the 1993 movie Amaravathi. And he got his first breakthrough with the 1995 thriller film Aasai. But, this was not the movie which made him the "Thala" of today. It was the 1999 romantic thriller Vaali which proved that Ajith is not just a handsome face but a star of the masses. His dual role in this movie was also a testament to his acting skills. It was the success of Vaali that gave the perfect kick-start to Ajith's stardom and made him into one of the most revered and loved Tamil film star.

Vijay Sethupathi had to struggle a lot to make it into the top league. In fact, he is the one top Tamil actor of current times, who had to wait for a long time to get recognized and achieve stardom. Starting his career in 2004, with uncredited roles, he had to wait till 2010 to play his first lead role in Thenmerku Paruvakaatru. But the movie that worked out for him and made him the star today he is, was the 2012 dark comedy movie Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom. After this movie, his career went on the top gear with one after the other critically and commercially successful movies.

Simbu aka STR made his debut as a lead actor in 2002 with Kadhal Azhivathillai, which was again directed by his father, T. Rajendra, and bankrolled by his mother. But, the movie failed to be a great launchpad for his career. Though he got few accolades of the movie, he had to wait for another four years to make it into the big league. It was the 2006 movie Vallavan, which was also directed by him, that made me have a seat at the table of the top stars of Kollywood. Despite getting mixed reviews, this movie gave the name and fame for Simbu, which he was looking for a long time. 

Vikram is undoubtedly the most dedicated actor of Tamil cinema, who is ready to go to any length to achieve perfection for the character. Debuting through En Kadhal Kanmani in 1990, it took him nine years and another 22 movies, to make a mark for himself in Kollywood. The 1999 romantic drama, Sethu, did the trick for him. Not only he won many awards for his brilliant performance, Vikram also got the nickname of 'Chiyaan' from this movie. Sethu proved that Vikram is not just a man with looks but also an actor with a lot of skills. 

Suriya is known as one of the most versatile actors in Tamil films. He made his debut in 1997 with the movie Nerrukku Ner. This film turned out to be a commercial success, yet it wasn't enough to make an impression of Suriya as a star actor who can make it big in Kollywood. That movie for him was the 2001 action drama flick, Nandha, where he played the title character. This role had a lot of scopes to prove his acting skills and he did that only. Nandha became the movie that turned him into a big star of Kollywood, from one of the many actors in Tamil films. 

Jiiva started his career as a child artist in his father's movies in 1995. But his proper debut happened in 2003 with the romantic drama Aasai Aasaiyai. The movie didn't do much for the career of Jiiva. It was his third movie which gave him the perfect boost, which he needed to make it into the A-list actors. In 2005, he played the lead in the mystery-drama movie, Raam. His performance in this movie gave him critics' appreciation and also gave him Best Actor award at Cyprus International Film Festival. The movie was also among the sleeper hits of Kollywood in 2005.