Exclusive | Ajith Kumar On His Early Days in Cinema: 'I Couldn’t Speak Tamil Properly; I Had an Accent'

In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Ajith Kumar looks back on his 33-year journey in cinema with nothing but gratitude. “I put my heart and soul into everything,” he says. It’s easy to forget that one of Tamil cinema’s most respected stars didn’t start off knowing the language too well. “I couldn't speak the language properly; I had an accent in Tamil. But I worked on it,” he recalls. The Tamil superstar was born to a Tamil father and a Sindhi mother.

Early on, people even suggested that he change his name to something more familiar. “I was initially asked to change my name because they felt it was not a very common name to have. I insisted that I would not want to have any other name.”

Ajith’s rise wasn’t a product of overnight fame or star backing; it came from showing up, working hard, and learning along the way. “There were a lot of challenges. I overcame everything,” he says. The same spirit defines his parallel life as a professional racer. “Even when it comes to racing, I am probably working as hard as a 19-year-old wanting to make racing a career.”

For Ajith, both acting and racing demand the same discipline. “You need to put the right team together,” he explains. “I have been very lucky — directors, producers, technicians I work with, people involved in motorsport, I am learning so much from all of them.”

Now, with over three decades in cinema and a Padma Bhushan to his name, Ajith continues to split his time between film sets and race tracks. His focus is to race as much as possible and help the sport grow in India. “If it happens organically, I am okay,” he smiles when asked about the possibility of a Brad Pitt F1-style remake in India. “Any way that we can popularise the sport!"

Watch out for our full interview with the star, dropping soon on The Hollywood Reporter India's YouTube channel.