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John Vijay is an Indian actor, who predominantly works in the Tamil film industry. He has also worked in the Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi film industries.
Wiki/Biography
John Vijay was born on Saturday, 20 November 1976 (age 47 years; as of 2023) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. His zodiac sign is Scorpio.
An old photograph of John Vijay
He pursued a B. Sc in Visual Communication at Loyola College, Chennai. He has worked as the head programme director of Radio One 94.3 FM.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 11″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
There is not much information about his parents and siblings.
Wife & Children
He got married to Madhavi Elangovan in 2011. She is a media professional and also works as the executive producer at the ‘H2O’ company.
John Vijay with his wife
Together, the couple have a son.
John Vijay with his son
Other Relative
His father-in-law, T. K. S. Elangovan, is a former politician.
Relationships/Affairs
He and Madhavi Elangovan studied in the same college. They dated each other for a long time before getting married.
Career
Film
Tamil
John Vijay made his debut as an actor in the Tamil film industry with the film ‘Thalaimagan’ in 2006. He gained immense popularity after he played the role of Pichchai (Son of Gun) in the film ‘Oram Po’ (2007).
John Vijay (right) in a still from the film ‘Oram Po’
In 2010, he played the role of Hemanth Shankar in the film ‘Raavanan.’ In an interview, he revealed that he overcame his fear of acting alongside big stars after working alongside Vikram and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the film. While talking about it in the interview, he said,
I need to thank Mani Ratnam for casting me in Raavan, which had an ensemble cast from all industries. So, I got over the fear of acting with big stars.”
John Vijay in a still from the film ‘Raavanan’
He played the role of police officer Marimuthu in the film ‘Mouna Guru’ in 2011. In 2013, he appeared as Daya in the film ‘Pattathu Yaanai.’ The actor appeared alongside Rajinikanth in the film ‘Kabali’ (2016). He played the role of Ameer in the film.
John Vijay (left) in a still from the film ‘Kabali’
In 2019, Vijay essayed the role of Kulandhai in the horror comedy film ’50/50.’ He also sang the song ‘Bin Laden Ganguda’ for the film. His performance as Kevin in the 2021 film ‘Sarpatta Parambarai’ received huge praise from the audience.
John Vijay (right) in a still from the film ‘Sarpatta Parambarai’
In 2023, he essayed the role of Ilango in the Vijay Antony starrer film ‘Pichaikkaran 2.’ He has acted in various Tamil films including ‘Thillalangadi’ (2010), ‘Kalakalappu’ (2012), ‘Vaayai Moodi Pesavum’ (2014), ‘Vaigai Express’ (2017), ‘Enemy’ (2021), and ‘Partner’ (2023).
Malayalam
John Vijay debuted in the Malayalam film industry with the film ‘Bachelor Party’ in 2012. He played the role of Prakash Kamath in the film. In 2014, he essayed the role of Ganapathy Iyer in the film ‘Iyobinte Pusthakam’ (2014). He appeared as Mayilvahanam IPS in the film ‘Lucifer’ (2019), starring Mohanlal.
John Vijay in a still from the film ‘Lucifer’
His performance in the negative role of Govind Raj in the film ‘Big Brother’ (2020) was highly praised by the audience. Some of his other Malayalam films are ‘Madirasi’ (2012), ‘Adi Kapyare Kootamani’ (2015), ‘Comrade In America’ (2017), ‘Shylock’ (2020), and ‘Adrishayam’ (2023).
Telugu
In 2016, the actor made his debut in the Telugu film industry with the film ‘Shankara’ in which he essayed the role of ACP Prasad. Vijay acted alongside Ravi Teja in the film ‘Ramarao on Duty’ in 2022. In 2023, he played the role of Samuel in the film ‘Bhaag Saale.’ In the same year, he appeared as Ranga in the film ‘Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire.’
John Vijay in a still from the film ‘Salaar’
Kannada
John Vijay played the role of Inspector Suryaprakash in the film ‘Prithvi’ in 2010. He appeared as Rana in the Yash-starrer film ‘Gajakesari’ in 2014.
Poster of the film ‘Gajakesari’
Hindi
In 2013, the actor essayed the role of Ranade Bhai in the film ‘David.’ The film was also made in Tamil language where his role was named Bhau. The following year, John Vijay appeared as a police officer in the film ‘Dedh Ishqiya.’
Poster of the film ‘Dedh Ishqiya’
Web Series
John Vijay acted in the political drama Tamil web series ‘Thiravam’ in 2019. The web series was streamed on the OTT platform ZEE5. In 2022, he appeared alongside Prakash Raj in the Tamil web series ‘Anantham,’ which premiered on ZEE5.
John Vijay (left) in a still from the web series ‘Anantham’
Controversy
Accused of Sexual Harassment
In 2018, television anchor and VJ Sriranjani Sundaram accused John Vijay of sexual harassment. She shared a tweet as a part of MeToo allegations in 2018 in which she mentioned that in 2014, she received a call from the actor where he attempted phone sex.
#MeToo This incident happened in 2014 with actor John Vijay. Thanks hubby @NOTamitbhargav for the nudge. And thanks @Chinmayi @TheRestlessQuil for making noise. I’m speaking up too! #TimesUp @muthupradeep you know when this happened. pic.twitter.com/EfzqdgDvVH
— Sriranjani T S (@Sri_TS) October 17, 2018
Sriranjani Sundaram further revealed that soon after she posted the tweet, John Vijay’s wife contacted her to know the matter firsthand and also apologized on behalf of her husband.
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- Nominated for SIIMA) in 2012 for his performance in the film ‘Mouna Guru’
- Nominated for Best Villain Award at the Vijay Awards in 2012 for the film ‘Mouna Guru’
- Won Album of the Year Kannada Award at the Mirchi Music Awards in 2014
John Vijay (left) after receiving the award
- Screen Awards 2015 for the film ‘Dedh Ishqiya’
- Nominated for Sarpatta Parambarai’
Facts/Trivia
- Besides being an actor, he is also a businessman. He runs an advertising company named ‘H2O,’ where he works as a creative director.
- He has hosted a program named ‘Tamil Pesum Kadanayagi,’ held at the Chennai Trade Center. In the program, he trained a few aspiring actresses to speak Tamil fluently. While talking about it in an interview, he emphasized the importance of fluency in Tamil for actresses to secure national awards, noting that their voices often go unused in dubbing, which impacts their chances of recognition. The actor also gave an instance of actress Radha who had failed to fetch a National award for her performance in the Tamil film ‘Mudhal Mariyadhai’ (1985) as her voice was not used for dubbing in the film.
- In 2023, John Vijay became a part of the ‘Meri Mitti Mera Desh’ movement by joining the Amrit Kalash Yatra in his town.
- He follows a non-vegetarian diet.