At times even a mass hero's film tanks making them less fortunate when it comes to signing for the next and they would require a Midas touch to bounce back. And this is exactly what happened in the case of the south's big stars - Thala Ajith Kumar, Jagapathi Babu, Aravind Swami, and Arun Vijay.
Ajith Kumar has put on a lot of weight and has stopped doing films after two flops Billa and Billa 2 between 2007 to 2010. But the role of a cop along with Arjun Sarja and pulling off a cricket betting heist made him bounce back, thanks to 'Mankatha' and it's director Venkat Prabhu who signed Ajith for this role. Ajith's new look with a salt and pepper hairstyle became an instant hit. After this hit, Aarambam another thriller followed and became a hit. Soon he was signed for Veeram, Vedalam, Yennai Arindhaal, Nerkondai Paarvai, and Viswasam and all did better at the box office and now is all set to entertain his fans with Valimai.
Jagapathi Babu Like Ajith, Jagapathi Babu, the face of Tollywood also has done a handful of films in Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada but at one point in time, he too was almost done and dusted. But playing an antagonist in Legend opposite Balakrishna, turned his fortune. Babu earned a state award for his role and he resurrected his film career with this project. He was later signed for over dozens of projects.
Another big name in the south Industry is Aravind Swamy who was a household name following his hits like Roja, Bombay, Minsara Kanavu, but the actor was totally out of the film industry without much projects in hand. But his reentry was with a bang.
Director Mohan Raja who made Thani Oruvan (2015) starring Jayam Ravi, roped in Aravind Swamy to play the negative shade in the film and it became a turning point. The film was also made in Telugu featuring Ramcharan Tej, however, the makers decided to retain Swamy for the same role as he did justice in the Tamil segment.
Arun Vijay After 17-years of hard work, the actor was finally recognized and the industry started seriously considering Arun Vijay.
Vijay was presented as an antagonist by Gautham Menon in Yennai Arindhaal in 2015 alongside Ajith Kumar. His performance was well-received by the audience.
Vijay was able to establish a name as an artist worth for money and also made his Telugu and Kannada entry.
The actor was also roped in Bollywood film 'Sahoo' starring Prabhas.