He has won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards, all for films which showcased him in multiple roles. In addition to his acting, Ajith, in a sabbatical, participated in the 2004 British Formula Three season as a Formula Two racing driver and was ranked the third best motor car driver in India at his peak. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in
the Tamil thriller Aasai (1995), before going on to establish himself as a romantic hero with Kadhal Kottai (1996), Aval Varuvala (1998) and Kadhal Mannan (1998) being the most notable. He was later seen in method roles as in Vaali (1999), Mugavaree (2000), Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) and Citizen (2001)[6] before establishing himself as an action hero with popular films, including Amarkalam (1999), Dheena (2001), Villain (2002), Attagasam (2004), Varalaru (2006), Billa (2007), Mankatha (2011) and Arrambam (2013). Ajith remains a popular figure in the media of Tamil Nadu, making headlines for his relationships before his marriage to former actress Shalini, and his controversial statements in a few occasions. His popularity and cultural influence have been compared to that of yesteryear actor M. Ramachandran by several veteran journalists.[8]Ajith was listed #61 in Forbes India's Top 100 Celebrities for the year 2012
