Vishal history

He was born to G. K. Reddy, a Tamil film producer in Andhra Pradesh. He and his family later moved to Chennai, where he grew up. He obtained his education from Don Bosco School and Loyola College, Chennai.

Vishal Krishna Reddy (born 29 August 1977), mononymously known as Vishal, is an Indian film actor, who has acted in a number of Tamil films in the lead role.

Vishal Krishna, popularly known as Vishal, son of noted producer GK Reddy is a popular Tamil film actor. Born and brought up in Andhra Pradesh, he later moved to Chennai and made a name for himself in Kollywood.

Vishal's strong passion for direction got him an apprenticeship with Ram Gopal Varma, just after he completed Visual Communication at Loyola College, Chennai. But for his parent’s desire to have him closer to home, he cancelled his flight ticket to Mumbai and headed to the decks of actor-director Arjun’s production house.

Vishal’s tenure as assistant to Arjun for the films Vedham & Ezhumalai exposed him not only to the nuances of direction but also aspects for excellence in the performing branch. A chance encounter with GJ team had his providence rewritten on a different path. Their offer to cast him as the protagonist in their venture Chellamae was accepted by Vishal after a careful consideration. With his zeal and sincerity, he did not land directly on the sets, rather took up a three-month acting lessons from a Koothupatrai troupe.

He had three back-to-back hits with Chellamae, Sandakozhi and Thimiru, which were all dubbed in Telugu. This was a feat indeed as few actors actually score a first-time hat trick in cinema history.

His brother, Vikram Krishna Reddy, who was formerly an actor under the name 'Ajay' and acted with Sivaji in Poo Parikka Varugirom, took off from where his father left and produced two films, Sandakozhi and Thimiru, starring Vishal.

His 4th film, Sivappathigaram was an average grosser while his 5th film Thamiraparani with popular director Hari achieved enough box-office success after it opened in Pongal 2007, and dubbed in Telugu as Barani. His next film Malaikottai was also a hit.

His other films include the Tamil-Telugu bilingual Sathyam (made as Salute in Telugu) and Thoranai (being simultaneously made in Telugu as Pistha).