Rajinikanth, Sivakarthikeyan, Vijay Sethupathi: Tamil stars who started their career with small roles

Before becoming a top shot in the film business, an actor, most especially an outsider, usually has to take small roles like playing the main lead's friend, brother, or just another side character. They continue working with the hope that one day a top right director or filmmaker will notice their talent and they may get a breakthrough. Many small stars in the Tamil cinema have started their journey with small roles and have now become big stars whose names intself sells tickts. Let’s take a look at them.

Rajinikanth

In today's date, completing more than 50 years in the film business, Superstar Rajinikanth isn’t just a movie star but has become one of the most legendary figures in the Indian film industry. Born by the name as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, in his earlier days, Rajinikanth did manual jobs like a coolie at railway stations, carrying heavy loads for meager pay, before landing a steady role as a bus conductor with the Bangalore Transport Service. Soon, after winning people’s hearts with his wit and charm in his bus, he gave a try at featuring in a play. He later enrolled at the Madras Film Institute and is where he caught director K. Balachander's eye. Making his debut in the 1975 movie ‘Apoorva Raagangal,’ he did supporting and small roles in his initial days.




He got his major breakthrough in 1978 with the film ‘Mullum Malarum’, directed by J. Mahendran. From then on, he also starred in a couple of memorable Hindi film projects where his pan-India fame increased. Today’s one of the celebrated actors having multiple blockbusters to his name.

Sivakarthikeyan

Actor Sivakarthikeyan comes from a modest family, who started his career in the entertainment world as a mimicry artist. He also performed stand-up comedy acts in college cultural events. Later, he found success with his humour and hosting gigs in shows like ‘Adhu Idhu Edhu’, ‘Super Singer Junior’, and ‘Kings of Comedy’, where his visibility increased. After performing in a supporting role in the film ‘Aegan’, he then starred in a couple of short films. He made his Tamil debut with ‘Marina’ in 2012, where his natural comedy shone. He received success with his 2013 film ‘Ethir Neechal’ and is now the leading star in his upcoming projects.

Vijay Sethupathi

Another top actor the Tamil film industry has given us, Vijay Sethupathi, during his early life, did multiple odd jobs after college. He worked as a salesman at a retail store, a phone booth operator and others. Although he is one of the most notable star before acting was as an assistant accountant in Dubai. He then returned to India in 2003, where he initially began his career in films. During the early 2000’s, he did small roles in films including ‘Pudhupettai’, ’Lee’, ‘Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu’, ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ and others. Vijay Sethupathi's major breakthrough came in 2012 with the critical and commercial success of the thriller ‘Pizza’ and the comedy ‘Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom’.

Prakash Raj

Prakash Raj, starting in Bengaluru's theater scene, performed over 2,000 street plays with K. Balachander's acting school. He dubbed in the film, including ‘Ravana in Ravana Rajya’ and then debuted onscreen in Kannada’s ‘Mithileya Seetheyaru’, doing a small role. He then later made his entry in Kannada TV serials. His breakthrough came in Tamil cinema in the mid-1990s, particularly after being introduced by director K. Balachander in ‘Duet’ and his role in ‘Kalki’. Now he is considered one of the top actors playing villain or in anti-hero roles. He also received a huge following in the Hindi cinema with his negative outings in ‘Wanted’, ‘Singham’, ‘Dabangg 2’ and others.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”