From Ghilli to Theri: 10 Ilayathalapathy Vijay action blockbusters one should know!

• Year : 2004
• Director : A M Ratnam
• Role : Saravanavelu

Ghilli revolves around an aspiring Kabaddi player who saves a girl from a murderous factionalist leader who wants to marry her. Vijay portrayed the role of Kabaddi player Saravanavelu in the film, which was touted as a trendsetter in Tamil Cinema.

Also read: Box Office: Vijay's Theri breaks Ajith's Vedalam record by a huge margin

Also, Ghilli was the first Tamil cinema to cross the coveted Rs 50 crore at the Tamil Nadu Box Office. The song Appadi Podu's popularity changed the film's fortunes at the Box Office.

• Year : 2005
• Director : Perarasu
• Role : Muthappa (Sivakasi)

The blockbuster film, Sivakasi released during Diwali 2005 to incredible opening collections. The action-masala entertainer had Vijay donning the role of Muthappa, a Chennai-based welder. Sivakasi ran for more than 150 days at the Box Office and easily topped the collections of all masala entertainers released till then.

• Year : 2008
• Director : Prabhu Deva
• Role : IPS Sathyamoorthy

The Prabhudeva directorial was the remake of Puri Jagannadh's Telugu film Pokkiri. The film was a mix of romance and action with a message and the blockbuster film ran for more than 200 days at the cinemas of Tamil Nadu.

Also read: With Vijay's Theri fever in Kerala, Mammootty's White and other Vishu releases stand postponed

• Year : 2009
• Director : B Babusivan
• Role : Ravi

Vettaikaran marked the directorial debut of B Babusivan. The film revolves around Ravi, a youngster who aspires to become an IPS officer. Vettaikaran was a big hit with the masses and the action sequences of the film were praised even by the critics. The song 'Naan Adicha' had become a chartbuster song of 2009.

• Year : 2011
• Director : M Raja
• Role : Velayudham

Velayudham was a Diwali release in 2011. The M Raja directorial was the first superhero flick for the superstar. The story of Velayudham revolves around a villager, who is forced to take upon the disguise of superhero to clean up the society. Velayudham was one of the highest-grossing films of 2011.

Also read: Ekk Albela: Teaser campaign of Bhaghwan Dada biopic features Salman Khan and Sachin Tendulkar

• Year : 2012
• Director : A R Murugadoss
• Role : Captain Jagadish

Thuppakki is touted as a landmark film in Vijay's career. Directed by A R Murugadoss and produced by Kalaipuli S Thanu, the action-thriller became the highest grosser of 2012. The 2012 Diwali release has collected Rs 180 crore worldwide, to become the superstar's first Rs 100 crore grosser and biggest hit till date. Thuppakki revolves around a Mumbai-based Indian army intelligence officer whose mission is to track down and destroy a terrorist group and deactivate the sleeper cells under its command.

• Year : 2013
• Director : A L Vijay
• Role : Vishwa Ramadorai

Thalaivaa, the Eid release of 2013 was directed by A L Vijay. The crime drama revolved around an Indian dancer from Australia who takes over his father's duty as a Mumbai gangster after his death. The action entertainer was met with positive reviews from critics for its crisp script. Thalaivaa was also a success at the overseas Box Office.

Also read: Theri: 10 Box Office records the Vijay-Samantha film has created

• Year : 2014
• Director : R T Neason
• Role : Sakthi

The R T Neason's Jilla marked the collaboration of Malayalam superstar Mohanlal and Vijay for the first time. The action entertainer had a massive opening day at the Box Office and a 100-day theatrical run at the Box Office. The film is based on the character Sakthi, the adopted son of a local crime boss played by Mohanlal. The film minted Rs 85 crore from its theatrical run.

• Year : 2014
• Director : A R Murugadoss
• Role : Kathiresan / Jeevanandam (Dual Role)

Kaththi marked the return of director-actor duo, A R Murugadoss and Vijay after Thuppakki. Just like their debut collaboration, Kaththi was a Diwali release in 2014. Starring Ilayathalapathy in a dual role, Kaththi revolves around the story of Kathiresan and Jeevanantham who are lookalikes and focuses on the issue of farmers committing suicides due to corporate encroachment.

Also read: Theri success party: Actor Vijay celebrates fans' super response to the film

The film opened to positive reviews upon its release and emerged the highest grosser of 2014. Kaththi was Vijay's second Rs 100 crore grosser and at the end of the theatrical run, the action-thriller had minted Rs 128 crore at the Box Office.

• Year : 2016
• Director : Atlee
• Role : DCP Vijay Kumar IPS (Joseph Kuruvilla / Dharmeshwar)

The recently-released Theri broke records at the Box Office. Directed by Atlee, the film became the fastest Tamil film ever to cross the coveted Rs 100 crore mark in just six days. Theri, which is still running to packed houses was a huge hit at the overseas Box Office as well. The film has, so far, minted Rs 172 crore at the Box Office and is all set to be the actor's highest grosser.