Meet actor who debuted as baby, was accused of being unprofessional on sets, dated top actress and is playing transgender in next

This South Indian actor is one of the leading stars at the moment. He has extensively worked in the Tamil cinema and has been known for pulling off an array of unconventional roles on-screen. His recent project won him acclaim despite it falling flat at the box office. 

Did you guess who we are talking about? Yes, it’s Silambarasan TR.

Who is Silambarasan TR?

Born in Madras in 1984, Silambarasan TR is the son of director T Rajender and his wife Usha Rajender. He has a younger brother, Kuralarasan, and a sister named Ilakiya. 

He completed his schooling at Don Bosco Higher Secondary School in Chennai and later pursued his graduation at Loyola College in the same city. 

STR’s debut in films as a baby to a child artist

One of the earliest exposures he could get in films was when STR made his on-screen stint as just a baby. He was held in his father’s arms in the 1984 movie Uravai Katha Kili, making his screen debut.

Thereafter, from 1995 onwards, he began making many appearances as a child artist in his father’s films. These include Thai Thangai Paasam, Oru Vasantha Geetham, Shanthi Enathu Shanthi, Sabash Babu, and more.

Simbu’s debut in films as a hero

In 2002, Silambarasan TR made his debut as a lead actor/hero in the film Kadhal Azhivathillai, which was directed by his father himself. 

While all these were mediocre hits at the box office, STR got a breakthrough after the release of Manmadhan in 2004, where he starred opposite Jyothika. 

Collaboration with Mani Ratnam, success and beyond

Between 2010 and 2023, a period spanning over 13 years, Silambarasan continued to deliver mid-range films at the box office, with some achieving success while others fell short of expectations.

These included Mani Ratnam’s film Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, Vedam, Podaa Podi, Eeswaran, Maanaadu, Pathu Thala and more.

When Silambarasan was accused of unprofessionalism on sets

Back in 2017, Silambarasan TR faced a red card from leading producers and directors. The makers of his film, Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan, brought allegations against him of being unprofessional on the film's sets.

In an interview with Behindwoods, the producer accused STR of frequently changing the location of shoots, arriving late to sets, and even making significant changes to the call sheets, thereby causing immense losses to the production.

Silambarasan lost weight after training in Bharatnatyam

During the lockdown situation after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, STR revealed publicly that he had gained a lot of weight and was then focusing on significant weight loss and turning towards spirituality.

As a result, he became a vegetarian during that period and learned Bharatanatyam, which enabled him to shed 30 kilos. 

Silambarasan’s controversial relationships

Besides his work front, STR has often stirred controversy when it comes to his personal life. While shooting for the 2006 film Vallavan, he was in a relationship with his co-star Nayanthara. 

While the two broke up after the movie had been released, people got to know about their relationship in the first place after almost a year. Well, Simbu had posted pictures of the two of them a year later, which became a matter of much gossip and buzz.

Silambarasan TR’s film front, all set to play a transgender role next

Well, STR was last seen in Mani Ratnam’s recently released film Thug Life, which seems to have tanked at the box office. While he plays the second lead alongside Kamal Haasan, audiences have nonetheless lauded his strong performance.

Moving on, he has a number of films lined up ahead, one of which, STR 50, requires him to play the role of a transgender person for the first time, in a project directed by Desingh Periasamy. 

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