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Meet the actor who became a star at 21 but life took an unfortunate turn and he later founded company worth Rs 3300 crore
A South Indian actor, who made his debut in 1991 in a Mani Ratnam film, quit acting in the 2000s, met with an accident and started his own company, which is worth 3300 crores.
Imagine making your acting debut, at the age of 21, with one of the most prominent directors in South India, yet being forced to quit acting due to a string of underperforming films. Despite all odds, you start your own business, which flourishes into an enterprise worth thousands of crores. Eventually, you decide to make a come-back into the film industry with the same director as your debut film, and are welcomed back with open hands.
No, this is not a random, fictitious story, it is the real life story of actor Arvind Swamy, who made his debut in Mani Ratnam’s 1991 gangster drama film Thalapathi. The Roja actor decided to quit acting in the early 2000s, due to several challenges, and take up his second passion, enterprising. His business, named Talent Maximus, was deemed to be worth Rs. 3300 crores as of 2022. As the actor celebrates his 54th birthday on June 18th, let us take a look at his journey so far.
Early days in cinema
During his college days, Arvind Swamy used to be a model in order to earn pocket money. It was from one such modeling gig that Mani Ratnam, who was one of the most prominent South Indian directors of the time, spotted Swamy, and invited him over for a meeting, which resulted in the actor getting the role in Mani Ratnam’s 1991 gangster drama film Thalapathi.
The young Arvind Swamy could not have asked for a better beginning. Thalapathi, which was Mani Ratnam’s re-interpretation of the Mahabharata from Karna’s point of view, featured Rajinikanth and Mammootty in the lead roles. Arvind Swamy played the role of Arjun, a district collector, who is the equivalent of Arjuna from the Mahabharata.
Following this, in his next film, he portrayed the protagonist in Mani Ratnam’s highly acclaimed romantic film Roja. The film garnered high praises from fans and critics alike.
In 1992, the actor made his Malayalam film debut with the action drama film Daddy, which featured Suresh Gopi in the lead. Arvind Swamy also reunited with Mani Ratnam in the 1995 film Bombay, which featured Manisha Koirala as the female lead. The film, similar to Roja, was a blockbuster hit, as well.
In 1995, he made his Telugu debut with the thriller film Mounam, helmed by C. Umamaheshwara Rao. In 1997, he appeared in Rajiv Menon’s Minsara Kanavu, alongside Prabhu Deva. The film raked in four National Awards, as well. The Chekka Chivantha Vaanam actor made his Hindi debut in 1998, appearing in Priyadarshan’s Saat Rang Ke Sapne. It was established - Arvind Swamy was one of the most wanted young actors, especially in South Indian cinema.
Career troubles and sabbatical
All seemed to be going well for Arvind Swamy until the late 1990s. In the late 1990s, several of the actor’s films met with production troubles. Three of his films, Engineer, Mudhal Mudhalaaga and Sasanam were stalled at the post-production stage. In fact, the first two films did not have a theatrical release as well. Sasanam was released several years later, in 2006.
Additionally, two Hindi films that Swamy was supposed to be a part of, one alongside Aishwarya Rai, as well as Anupam Kher’s directorial debut with Amitabh Bachchan, were dropped. The actor’s last films in the 1990s were En Swasa Kaatre and the Hindi film Raja Ko Rani Se Pyaar Ho Gaya.
Arvind Swamy’s business front
After making a cameo appearance in Mani Ratnam’s romantic classic Alai Paayuthey, which featured R. Madhavan and Shalini in the lead roles, Arvind Swamy decided to quit acting and focus on his business interests.
The actor comes from an industrial background, with his father, VD Swamy being a successful entrepreneur. In fact, Swamy himself has completed his Post-Graduate in International Business from the United States of America.
Arvind Swamy took over as the director of VD Swamy and Co. and was engaged in international trade and construction businesses. He also became the President of InterPro Global, as well as the chairman and managing director of Prorelease India, where he took care of the operations and technology for the delivery of many processes across different verticals.
In 2005, Swamy decided to start his own venture, launching Talent Maximus, a firm engaged in payroll processing and temporary staffing. The company flourished, and as of 2022, is worth over Rs. 3300 crores.
The accident
As Arvind Swamy’s business was flourishing, life decided to throw a curveball at the actor-businessman yet again. In 2005, Arvind Swamy met with an accident, which left him with an injured spine.
The injury left him with a temporary paralysis in his leg. Needless to say, the accident, as well as the recovery process was quite painful as well. Nonetheless, as is evident from Arvind Swamy’s story so far, he isn’t one to give up. Swamy fought against all odds, and with regular treatment for close to 5 years, the actor was able to get back in action.
A second debut
After a successful recovery, Arvind Swamy was approached by none other than Mani Ratnam in 2013, who requested him to play a role in his upcoming film, titled Kadal. For the film, he also lost close to 15 kgs as well.
Immediately after that, in 2015, he appeared in a negative role in Mohan Raja’s thriller film Thani Oruvan. His role in the film garnered critical and commercial acclaim, and even earned him several awards.
Since then, the actor has appeared in several films, including Dhruva, Bhaskar Oru Rascal, and even Mani Ratnam’s 2018 gangster film Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, which also featured Simbu, Vijay Sethupathi and Arun Vijay.
In 2021, he played the role of legendary actor and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MG Ramachander (MGR) in AL Vijay’s biographical drama film Thalaivii, which was based on the life of former Tamil Nadu CM J. Jayalalithaa.
Arvind Swamy also appeared alongside Naga Chaitanya in Venkat Prabhu’s 2023 film Custody, as well.
What’s next for Arvind Swamy
Quite recently, the actor was seen appearing in a cameo role in Gokul’s coming-of-age film Singapore Saloon, which was released earlier next year. Arvind Swamy will next be seen in Kishor Pandurang Belekar’s upcoming silent film Gandhi Talks, which also features Vijay Sethupathi, Aditi Rao Hydari, Mahesh Manjrekar and many more.
Furthermore, he is also expected to star alongside Karthi in the upcoming film Meiyazhagan, which is helmed by C. Prem Kumar of ‘96 fame. The film is also said to feature V Jayaprakash and Devadarshini Chetan in crucial roles.
Arvind Swamy’s journey can be described as nothing but inspirational. As the actor turns 54, Pinkvilla wishes him a very happy birthday!
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