Vanitha Vijayakumar (born 6 October[1]) is an Indian actress who has appeared predominantly in Tamil films and television shows.[2][3]
Early life
Vanitha is the eldest daughter of Tamil actor Vijayakumar and his second wife, Tamil actress Manjula. Vanitha has two younger sisters, Preetha and Sridevi, who were former actresses. From his first marriage to Muthukannu Vellalar, Vijayakumar had three children. Actor Arun Vijay, Anitha and Kavitha are among her half-siblings.[4][5]
In September 2018, she had a public fallout with her family after she refused to leave a family property that she had initially rented for a shoot in Ashtalakshmi Nagar. Her father, Vijayakumar, subsequently filed a police complaint against her.[6][7]
Career
Debut in Tamil and Malayalam cinema (1995–1999)
Vanitha made her acting debut opposite Vijay in Chandralekha (1995).[8] Vanitha subsequently appeared alongside Rajkiran in Manikkam (1996), before moving on to act in the Malayalam film Hitler Brothers (1997) and Telugu devotional fantasy film Devi (1999).[9] After her first marriage to Akash, Vanitha quit the film industry.
Reentry into cinema (2013–2015)
Vanitha made a brief comeback to acting in the mid-2010s, and first appeared in a small role in Naan Rajavaga Pogiren (2013). She followed this up with a longer role in the comedy drama, Summa Nachunu Irukku (2013). Vanitha then chose to turn producer and make a film titled MGR Sivaji Rajini Kamal (2015), to be directed by her then-boyfriend Robert. She produced the film under the Vanitha Film Production banner, suggesting that the script of the film originated from a joke they discussed at a social gathering.[10][11] Following the commercial failure of the film, Vanitha lodged a police complaint against distribution studio Vibrant Medias, alleging that they did not release the film in 80 cinemas as agreed in their contract.[12] She was also rejected by most directors and didn't receive any film offers from directors, and she decided to quit acting for some time due to criticisms.
Recognition in Tamil television (2019–present)
On 2019, Vanitha appeared in the Tamil reality television show Bigg Boss Tamil 3 on Star Vijay. She was the second contestant to be eliminated from the show. After a few weeks of request from fans
for Vanitha to enter the house as a wild card, they sent her again as a contestant.[13]
Vanitha Vijayakumar had married actor Akash on 10 September 2000.[15] Their son was born in 2001 and their daughter in 2005. The marriage ended in divorce in 2005. Following a lengthy custody dispute, the Madras High Court ordered that the children split their time between both parents. Her son later moved in permanently with his grandfather and then with his father Akash.[16][17]
In 2007 Vanitha Vijayakumar got married again, to businessman, Anand Jay Rajan. The pair has a daughter. The couple separated soon after and were officially divorced in 2012, with Rajan being awarded custody of their child. Vanitha suggested that the pair divorced as a result of her disputes with Vijayakumar, and that Rajan had effectively become indirectly involved in the controversy costing her peace and career opportunities.
Following her separation with Anand Rajan in 2010, Vanitha dated choreographer Robert beginning in 2013.[18] The duo also worked together professionally by producing a film titled MGR Sivaji Rajini Kamal (2015), before ending their relationship in 2017.[19]
Vanitha was a born Hindu to Tamil parents. On 30 March 2022 she converted to Buddhism following various religious rituals.[20]
Vanitha has mentioned that she was suffering from depression for more than 10 years and that she later underwent medical treatment and professional counselling to recover fully.[21]
[22] In 2019, the police questioned Vanitha while she was on Bigg Boss Tamil 3 in Chennai over a complaint filed by Rajan alleging that she had kidnapped their daughter.[22]
In 2020 she revealed that she was in relationship with Peter Paul, a photographer who was already married and a father of two children.[23] The couple got married on 27 June 2020 in Chennai. Vanitha's marital relationship created a lot of hype in the media. Peter's first wife, Elizabeth, filed a case against Vanitha and her husband and for not getting an official divorce before marrying again. As of October 2020, Vanitha denied Peter to be named as her husband as their marriage ceremony was not yet registered and broke up the relationship with him due to his ongoing addiction to alcohol.[24]
Off-screen work
In 2021, Vanitha officially opened up her own clothing store outlet named as Vanitha Vijayakumar Styling which is located in Chennai. She is also a part time costume designer.[25][26]
