Vijay Meets Ajith Kumar at Silverstone, Reviving a Long History of Tamil Cinema Encounters

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and former actor C Joseph Vijay met actor and racer Ajith Kumar on the sidelines of the Michelin Le Mans Cup at Silverstone, in a meeting that quickly drew attention on social media. The two stars, long regarded as rivals in Tamil cinema, were photographed together at the racing event.

The encounter has renewed interest in the occasions when the two have appeared together in public over the years.

Early public meetings

The pair first shared screen space in the 1995 film Rajavin Parvaiyile. One of their earliest public meetings came a decade later, in 2005, when Vijay attended the pooja ceremony of Ajith's action drama Thirupathi. Directed by Perarasu, the film began with a song shoot at AVM Studios on September 15, 2005. Photographs from the ceremony showed Ajith and Vijay laughing together in the company of Ajith's wife, actor Shalini, and the film's female lead, Sadha.

Award ceremonies and industry causes

Both actors have crossed paths at numerous award functions, but the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards distribution ceremony in 2007 remains a favourite among fans. At that event, Vijay and Ajith were seated alongside fellow actors Vikram and Suriya.

The two also took part in industry-wide actions. On November 1, 2008, the South Indian Artistes Association held a dawn-to-dusk fast in Chennai to express solidarity with the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka during the civil war. Vijay and Ajith attended the fast, as did Vikram.

The Mankatha set visit

Perhaps the most widely discussed meeting came in January 2011, when Vijay, then shooting for Velayudham, visited the sets of Ajith's Mankatha at Binny Mills in Perambur. Photographs from the visit showed Vijay presenting Ajith with a watch. After Mankatha became a blockbuster, director Venkat Prabhu — one of the few filmmakers to have worked with both stars — said Vijay had wondered why he was not approached for the role of ACP Prithviraj IPS, which was played by Arjun Sarja.