Vishal

Vishal Krishna Reddy, better known as just Vishal, grew up in Chennai in a family with ties to both business and cinema—his dad, G.K. Reddy, dealt with granite, while his brother Vikram Krishna dove into acting and producing. Vishal himself took the usual school route at Don Bosco before switching gears into Visual Communications at Loyola College. But the whole acting bug? That bit him while he was working behind the camera as an AD for Arjun Sarja. Someone saw him on set and thought, “Yep, this guy belongs in front of the camera,” and honestly, they weren’t wrong. He sharpened his chops with the Koothu-P-Pattarai theatre crew before debuting in Chellame (2004), playing an income tax officer, which critics surprisingly loved. Things really took off with Sandai Kozhi (2005), where he played this engineering student who just couldn’t stand bullies—classic masala stuff that Chennai audiences ate up for over 200 days. From there, it was a steady parade of action flicks: Thimiru, Sivappathikaaram, and Malaikottai, each giving him this “action hero” stamp he’s worn ever since. Dude didn’t just stick to punching bad guys though. In Avan Ivan (2011), he played a cross-eyed rural actor and people took notice—he even picked up a Special Jury Award in Norway, of all places. He also started producing with Pandiya Naadu (2013), snagging an award for Best Debutant Producer. By now, Vishal’s done everything from revenge thrillers to political dramas, and he’s clearly not slowing down.