This actor began his career at 20 with Rajinikanth and went on to star in two huge hits before leaving films to build a Rs 3300 crore business empire
Not many get a start to their career going toe-to-toe with superstars like Rajinikanth and Mammootty at the age of 20 in Mani Ratnam film. But Arvind Swamy did when he debuted with Thalapathi. The actor was a star by 25 but quit films before he turned 30, transforming himself into a business tycoon. Here’s his story.
1. Arvind Swamy’s dream debut in films
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In 1991, Arvid Swamy made his film debut in Thalapathi, Mani Ratnam’s modern-day retelling of Mahabharata. The critically-acclaimed film starred Rajinikanth and Mammootty and Swamy was good enough to earn praise for his supporting role.
2. Arvind Swamy’s rise to stardom
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Swamy went on to star in two massive national hits from Ratnam – Roja in 1992 and Bombay in 1995. The success of these films firmly established him as a star. His then starred in the 1997 National Award-winning film Minsaara Kanavu alongside Kajol. The following year, he made his Bollywood debut opposite Juhi Chawla in Saat Rang Ke Sapne.
3. Why Arvind Swamy quit films at age 30
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By the late-90s, Arvind Swamy's films were not doing well at the box office. A couple of his films as lead actor were dropped, including a Mahesh Bhatt film opposite Aishwarya Rai and Anupam Kher’s planned directorial debut with Amitabh Bachchan. Two other films spent years in production. Discouraged by this, Swamy quit films after 2000.
4. Arvind Swamy’s battle with paralysis
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In the mid-2000s, the former actor, who was now managing his father’s businesses, had an accident. This led to partial paralysis of his leg. The treatment took about 4-5 years and left him in pain for prolonged period of time.
5. Arvind Swamy’s net worth and business empire
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In 2005, Arvind Swamy founded his most successful company. Just before his injury, Swamy founded Talent Maximus, a company engaged in payroll processing and temporary staffing in India. As per multiple market tracking portals like RocketReach, in 2022, the revenue of Talent Maximus was a whopping $418 million (Rs 3300 crore).
6. Arvind Swamy’s comeback to films
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In 2013, Swamy was coaxed by his mentor Mani Ratam to return to films with Kadal. The actor eventually began doing more roles but has been more selective in his second innings. In 2021, he made his comeback to Bollywood as well, when he played MG Ramchandran opposite Kangana Ranaut in the Tamil-Hindi bilingual Thalaivii.
