This actor was once Rajinikanth's competitor, suffered paralysis, then built a business worth 3300 crore
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Arvind Swami has a career that only a few can dream of - both in films and otherwise. It’s not every day that an actor gets to debut with Mani Ratnam at just 21 years old and find stardom that puts them on par with Rajinikanth and Mammootty. Not just that, he also managed to build a successful business after taking a hiatus from films despite achieving pan-India success, all while battling paralysis!
Arvind Swami’s stardom
Arvind’s parents are industrialist VD Swami and Bharatanatyam dancer Vasantha. He was spotted by Mani in an advertisement and called to audition for a role in the 1991 film Thalapathi with Rajinikanth and Mammootty. But his 1992 film Roja and 1995 film Bombay with Mani would define his career.
His pan-Indian stardom even brought him Priyadarshan’s Hindi film Saat Rang Ke Sapne in 1998 with Juhi Chawla. But the movie tanked, and his career burnt out bright and fast. Many believed 2000’s Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya, which was released after multiple delays, would be his last film.
His second innings
Undeterred, Arvind, who studied Commerce at Loyola College in Chennai and business administration at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, began managing his late father’s business, VD Swami and Company, which exported steel.
Rediff reported in 2003 that Arvind worked as the chairman and managing director of ProLease India, a payroll processing company. By 2005, he had founded his own company, Talent Maximus, which worked similarly. News18 and DNA reported that, according to RocketReach, the company’s revenue in 2022 stood at $418 million ( ₹3300 crore).
But life wasn't all smooth sailing, because Arvind endured a spinal injury between 2000-13 that left him paralysed and in ‘extreme, excruciating pain’, Arvind told Gulf News earlier this month. “I had a spinal injury. I was in bed for a couple of years. I had a partial paralysis of my leg, among a lot of other injuries,” he said.
The big comeback
Much like how Mani initially coaxed Arvind into films, he was also instrumental in his comeback. In 2013, after recovering from his injury, the actor returned to the silver screen with Kadal.
“When Kadal came my way, it was more a challenge internally on whether I could get back into shape, get back my mobility. I didn’t have the confidence to do it, but this film gave me some kind of purpose to get back to good health,” he told the publication.
Not only did Arvind run two half-marathons after that, but he has also since acted in films like Thani Oruvan, Dhruva, Chekka Chivantha Vaanam and Thalaivii. He was most recently seen in C Prem Kumar’s Meiyazhagan with Karthi and will soon be seen in the silent film Gandhi Talks with Vijay Sethupathi and Aditi Rao Hydari.
