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The turning point in Vijay's career came with his friend Soori's directorial debut Duniya. Vijay was cast as a kind, naive village boy who falls into the hands of underworld goons who use him as a henchman. His acting won him positive reviews from critics.[4] Vijay went on to win the State and Filmfare awards for his role in the film.
In 2007, Vijay appeared in Yuga, Chanda and Geleya. Yuga is an action-oriented film that is similar to Duniya but it was not a box-office success. Vijay took a supporting role in Geleya when Prakash Rai[5] suddenly left the film.
In Chanda, which was directed by S. Narayan, who had supposedly agreed with Vijay to release the film six weeks after Yuga to avoid a clash. Narayan did not keep this promise, for which Vijay refused to dub for the film. The matter was settled with the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), which imposed a year-long ban on Vijay.[6] After the intervention of KFCC elders, the ban was revoked and Vijay was eligible to work on other movies. Chanda was a commercial success at the box office, and especially at B&C centres.[citation needed]
Vijay did a semi-art film Avva for Kavita Lankesh at the start of 2008.[7] Vijay won accolades for a bravura performance, but the film did not do well. He was then seen in Sumana Kittur's Slum Bala towards the end of 2008, which also did average business.[8] The consensus was that both films lacked action, which was Vijay's forte.
In 2012, Vijay starred in the critically acclaimed Bheema Theeradalli which also had commercial success. Vijay was lauded for his performance in the movie.[17] In early 2013, the film Rajanikantha was released and it was a disaster at the box office.[18] His subsequent release Jayammana Maga, a psychological thriller and his first production venture under his company "Duniya Talkies", attracted positive critical reviews and his performance was noted.[19] He did his own stunts in this movie like in many of his other films, including Duniya.[20][21] His next movie Shivajinagara was an average box-office performer. In 2014, his only movie was Simhadri. In 2015, he appeared in Jackson, Rx Suri, and Ring Road, which were hits, but Cobra was delayed.[22]
In 2016, Vijay's first release was Yogaraj Bhat's much-hyped film Dana Kayonu, in which he starred alongside Priyamani. The film was a commercial success and resurrected his career.[23] His next release was Nagashekar's Masti Gudi, which made little impact at the box office.[24]
In 2021, Vijay appeared in the adult-oriented film Kusti with his son, and his own directorial debut Salaga.[26]
Controversies
On 6 November 2016, while filming the climax fight scene for Masti Gudi, two stuntmen playing the villains Anil and Uday, along with Vijay, jumped from a helicopter into Thippagondanahalli Reservoir. While the two stuntmen drowned, Vijay was rescued by the film crew.[27] Following this incident, the KFCC imposed a ban on Vijay, director Nagashekar and stunt choreographer Ravi Varma until further notice.[28] In April 2017, police filed criminal charges against several members of the production crew but did not file charges against Vijay.[29]
On 24 September 2018, Vijay was arrested after he was alleged to have assaulted and abducted his friend, a gym trainer.[30]
