Every now and then, a storm hits the film industry. There is a replacement for every actor in all the genres as new talents keep emerging. When the Goundamani-Senthil duo was at their peak, Vadivelu entered the field, as a supporting comedy actor. Who would have thought that the young man from Madurai is going to be a sensation and an icon in the upcoming decades?

From a very humble background, Vadivelu had never imagined that he would enter the film industry. Actor Rajkiran was impressed by Vadivelu during a personal conversation with him in Madurai where Rajkiran was laughing for minutes and minutes just hearing Vadivelu talk. Once he returned back to Chennai, he recalled this incident and decided to bring Vadivelu to Chennai and introduce him in his film 'En Rasavin Manasile'. 

Vadivelu is a very simple man. An actor being simple off-screen is often talked about. But here is a man who has brought that simplicity on screen through his performances. When you hear Vadivelu talk, both in films and interviews, you feel like some random guy from a southern district of Tamil Nadu is talking to you casually. The difference between Vadivelu and other comedians is the unique nativity factor that he brings in. Finding the USP (Unique Selling Point) of an individual is the most important task and Vadivelu has found it very early in his career which has made him a star.

Some of the most memorable films of Vadivelu include Vetri Kodi Kattu, Friends, Winner, Giri, Thalainagaram and Chandramukhi. In 'Imsai Arasan 23am Pulikesi', his debut film as a hero, he broke the old sentiments that a comedian cannot succeed as a lead actor. The film was a huge success. In all his successful films and roles, you can find him being very attached to the character he plays. We see him only as Kaippulla, 'Chithappa' Nesamani, Naai Sekar, Pulikesi and not Vadivelu. That's the success of any artist.

Social media is something that we cannot get away with these days even if we do not like. There are many heroes who have emerged solely from their social media activities. But if there is a film actor whose face is being used everyday by meme creators to convey any issue in the state, it is Vadivelu. You can hardly find a day where you don't see a meme with Vadivelu's face and punchlines. When it comes to the punches, Vadivelu is so blessed that whatever he talks (without intention) on screen like 'Aaniyae pudunga vaenaam' and 'Paechu paechaa dhaan irukkanum' becomes a punchline among the public.

Vadivelu had been into many controversies. Due to a personal issue with actor-politician Vijayakanth, Vadivelu campaigned against him in the 2011 assembly elections in favour of the DMK. There was huge crowd wherever he spoke but nothing could make any change in the election results as the DMK suffered a huge loss and Vijayakanth became the leader of the opposition in the assembly. 

This made Vadivelu and the DMK realize that people came only to 'see' their favourite actor and it doesn't mean support for the party that he campaigns for. After this, Vadivelu stayed away from politics and started doing only less films. There has been reports that he doesn't co-operate well in the sets and demands huge remuneration. Though many of these are credible accusations on him, it doesn't affect the love of his fans even a bit.

Vadivelu is being the stress buster for many families especially during tough times. All of us want Vadivelu to act in more films and stay on top in the trends of many more generations to come. Happy Birthday, Vaigaipuyal.