Suriya to Shruti Haasan: Kollywood star kids who made an impact on screen

Like any other industry, star kids in Tamil cinema too, have faced peer pressure and constant limelight. Right from Suriya to Shruti Haasan, here’s a list of popular star kids who have become successful stars in the Kollywood industry.

The legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan’s son Prabhu is an established actor in the industry who debuted along with his dad in ‘Sangili’ in 1982. Since then, Prabhu has starred in many blockbuster films and has worked with top stars like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. After being a successful actor, Prabhu went on to play supporting roles in films like ‘Ayan’, ‘Thamirabharani’ and ‘Billa’. His son Vikram Prabhu is one of the successful actors among the younger lot, who made his debut in the romantic drama ‘Kumki’. Prabhu’s home production Sivaji Productions has churned out several successful films.

Kamal Haasan’s daughters Shruti and Akshara have been quite successful in the industry. Like most star kids, they have often been compared to their parents Kamal and Sarika. Shruti Haasan started her career as a music composer and made her debut in Kamal Haasan’s ‘Unnaipol Oruvan’ in 2009. However, she later turned to acting and starred opposite Suriya in the sci-fi thriller ‘7aum Arivu’. Her performance as Janani in ‘3’ was unanimously appreciated by the audience. Since then, Shruti has worked in several blockbuster films in both Tamil and Telugu. In fact, Shruti is one of the biggest names in Tollywood and has worked with almost top heroes of Telugu cinema. Apart from acting, Shruti is equally popular for her singing talent and has crooned several soulful songs.
On the other hand, Akshara Haasan started off as an assistant director to Rahul Dholakia. She has worked in several ad films as well. In 2013, Akshara was given an opportunity to act in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Kadal’. However, she turned down the offer, eventually making her debut in ‘Shamitabh’ starring Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush in the lead. In Tamil, she acted alongside Ajith Kumar in ‘Vivegam’ and is currently teaming up with Vikram for her next.

Superstar Rajinikanth and wife Latha have two daughters - Aishwaryaa and Soundarya. The former started her career as an erstwhile assistant director to filmmaker Selvaraghavan, after which she made her directorial debut with ‘3’. The film opened to mixed reviews and performed moderately at the box office. Apart from films, Aishwaryaa has written a book titled ‘Standing on an Apple Box’ and performed at the UN. Notably, Aishwaryaa’s documentary on stunt performers titled ‘Cinema Veeran’ had Rajinikanth lending the voice as the narrator.
Soundarya Rajinikanth made a splashing debut with ‘Kochadaiyaan’, which was India’s first motion capture picture. Starring her father Rajinikanth in the lead, the film received a mixed response from the audience and ultimately tanked at the box office. Last year, Soundarya helmed brother-in-law Dhanush’s ‘VIP 2’, which too, opened to poor reviews from critics. According to reports, Soundarya is currently busy with her father’s political entry and is reported to be part of Rajini Makkal Mandram.

SA Chandrasekar is one of the successful directors in Tamil, who has worked in Telugu, Kannada and Hindi industries as well. SAC launched his son Vijay in ‘Naalaiya Theerpu’, which was a flop at the box office. Among the younger lot, Vijay is the most bankable star we have today and his recent film ‘Mersal’ is a glowing example. The actor got his first breakthrough in Vikraman’s ‘Poove Unakkaga’ and later shot to fame after his romantic drama ‘Kadhalukku Mariyadhai’. Many of his films have created havoc at the box office, especially after the release of ‘Ghilli’, which is one of the major hits of the star. 2007 was an important year for Vijay that saw the release of 'Pokkiri' on Pongal. Vijay is currently shooting for his forthcoming
'Thalapathy 62’ with AR Murugadoss.

Veteran actor Sivakumar ruled the roost from the early ‘70s to late ‘80s. In a career spanning several decades, Sivakumar has earned the reputation of being one of the most versatile actors in the industry and has acted alongside top stars at that point in time. Sivakumar has two sons - Suriya and Karthi, who are certainly two big names in the industry.
Making his debut in 'Nerukku Ner', Suriya has the reputation for doing diverse roles with utmost sincerity and perfection. He played an eccentric and quirky Shakthi in ‘Pithamagan’, which is often cited as Suriya’s best film till date. Suriya’s first major success came through Gautham Menon’s cop thriller ‘Kaakha Kaakha’. He is one of the few actors who has a reasonably good market in the Telugu and Malayalam industry. The actor currently awaits the release of ‘NGK’, which is being directed by Selvaraghavan and is slated to release on Diwali this year.
On the other hand, Karthi had a dream debut in form of ‘Paruthiveeran’, a hard-hitting rural film that won several national and international awards. Since then, Karthi has starred in several successful films and has carved out a niche for himself. Last year, Karthi gave two memorable performances in ‘Kaatru Veliyidai’ and ‘Theeran Adhigaram Ondru’, which were highly appreciated by critics. The actor is all set for the release of ‘Kadai Kutty Singam’, which is produced by Suriya.

T Rajendar was one of the successful actors/directors in the industry and many of his films in the ‘80s went on to become blockbusters at the ticket window. His son Silambarasan aka Simbu is controversy's favourite child in Tamil cinema. The actor started his career as a child artist and has appeared in many of his father T Rajendar’s films like ‘Oru Thayin Sabatham’, ‘Thai Thangai Paasam’ and ‘Shanthi Enathu Shanthi’ to name a few. Simbu became a household name after starring in the blockbuster thriller ‘Manmadhan’. Simbu is a multi-talented star and has sung several chartbuster songs in Tamil. The ‘Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa’ star made his debut as a music composer last year in ‘Sakka Podu Podu Raja’. Simbu is currently shooting for Mani Ratnam’s ‘Chekka Chivantha Vaanam’.

Son of legendary actor Muthuraman, Karthik is one of the most loved romantic heroes in Tamil cinema. In fact, it would only be right to say that he ruled the roost in the ‘80s. Karthik became a pop-culture phenomenon after acting in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Mouna Raagam’ and ‘Agni Natchathiram’. His son Gautham Karthik made his acting debut in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Kadal’, which opened to poor responses from critics and audiences alike. Though Gautham has acted in many films so far, he is yet to deliver a blockbuster film per se. For the first time, Karthik and Gautham are acting together in the upcoming ‘Mr Chandramouli’, which is being directed by Thiru of ‘Naan Sigappu Manithan’ fame. Gautham also has the adult comedy film ‘Iruttu Arayil Murattu Kuththu’ coming out this week.

Sibiraj made his acting debut in the film ‘Student No 1’, which was a Telugu remake directed by SS Rajamouli. He went on to star alongside dad Sathyaraj in films like ‘Kovai Brothers’, ‘Jore’ and ‘Vetrivel Sakthivel’, which were flops at the box office. After taking a sabbatical from acting, Sibi starred in the crime thriller ‘Naanayam’, which was his first negative character. Despite getting a good response for his performance, the film performed poorly at the box office. However, the actor tasted success in ‘Naaigal Jaakirathai’, which was directed by Sakthi Soundar Rajan. Last year, Sibi won critical and commercial success for the crime thriller ‘Sathya’, a remake of Telugu film ‘Kshanam’.