Prasanna to Vijay Sethupathi: Five Tamil actors who started their careers as successful heroes but turned to negative roles

Many actors have been making their entry into cinema as heroes and trying to win the hearts of people with their positive portrayals. However there have been several instances in the past when after producing a few hit films as heroes, actors have tried to capitalise on their fan following by taking up villainous roles. Actors have explained that they took up a particular negative role as it was well-scripted. So, here are five actors from Sibiraj to Prasanna in Tamil cinema, who turned villains after a successful stint with being the hero.

Prasanna made his debut in the film 'Five Star' which was produced by Mani Ratnam's Madras Talkies. Then the actor continued to be seen as a lead hero in a few films, but the films failed at the box office. Prasanna then chose to play an antagonist and did well in Mysskin's directorial 'Anjathe'. Prasanna was appreciated for his role in 'Anjathe' and then he went on to win awards for that role. The actor has continued to act as an antagonist in films like 'Muran', Thiruttu Payale 2', and 'Mafia'.

Sibiraj, the son of popular actor Sathyaraj, started his career as a lead hero in the film 'Student No 1' at the age of 23. The actor has produced hits like 'Vetrivel Sakthivel', 'Kovai Brothers' and 'Lee'. After the 2017 Tamil film 'Lee', Sibiraj took a break for three years from Tamil cinema and entered back with the film 'Nanayam' as an antagonist. The thriller film, which was directed by Shakthi Soundar Rajan, featured Prasanna in the lead role.

Arun Vijay who made his acting debut as a lead hero in the 1995 Tamil film 'Murai Mappillai', which was directed by Sundar C. However, the actor was unable to give blockbuster hits with his films. After the film 'Thadaiyarka Thaakka' with director Magizh Thirumeni, Arun Vijay stayed away from Tamil cinema for three years. Then, the actor played as an antagonist to Thala Ajith in the film 'Yennai Arindhaal', and he won several awards for his role in the film.

Vinay made his debut as a hero in the romantic film 'Unnale Unnale', which was written and directed by Jeeva. In the first film itself, Vinay earned a place for himself as a chocolate boy in Tamil cinema. However, after that, the actor struggled to maintain his place in the industry and failed to produce hit films. Vinay then played the role of an antagonist in Vishal and Mysskin’s suspense thriller 'Thupparivalan', and did a remarkable job. The performance was so good that he ended up with a Filmfare South award for Best Supporting actor.

Vijay Sethupathi excelled as a top hero in Tamil cinema after a long career full of struggles. Vijay Sethupathi, who never hesitated to take up roles with strong elements, has also done supporting roles in the past. The actor's role in the film 'Vikram Vedha' was highly celebrated by the Tamil cinema audience. Vijay Sethupathi then surprised the audience with a grey-shaded character in Superstar Rajinikanth's 'Petta'. Now, the actor is playing as a villain to Vijay in the upcoming film 'Master', which is directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj.