Aari Arujunan

Aari, before entering films, had background in theatre featuring in productions by Magic Lantern, Theatre Nisha and Inland Theatres.[1][2] He was caste the role of Muthu in Aadum Koothu (2005)..[3] Aari made his feature film debut in Rettaisuzhi, produced by director Shankar. He appeared as Murthy, an army man, returning to his village. However the film opened to poor reviews, with a critic noting that "the lead pair Anjali and Aari lacks charisma and is not convincing as lovers".[4]

In October 2011 it was announced that Aari would feature in Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey after replacing Adith Arun in the lead role and would star alongside winner of Miss South India 2010, Shubha Phutela. Aari mentioned that it was "really challenging to play an ordinary guy", as he had to consciously keep his emotions to a minimum at all times.[5]

Aari portrayed the lead role in N. Krishna's third venture, a romantic road trip film titled Nedunchaalai (2014), a period film set in the 1980, which tool two years to complete.[6] Post-release, a critic noted "The performance from every cast member is outstanding" and "Aari immerses himself in the central character of Murugan with such conviction and controlled flair that it becomes impossible to separate the actor from the part".[7] The film opened to positive reviews and performed above average at the box office.[8] His following venture, the comedy Kadai En 6, remains unreleased.[9] Another forthcoming film will be Dharani directed by newcomer Guhan, which has been in production since 2010.[10]He also starredrred in the 2015 release Dharani.[11]

In October 2020, he participated in the reality show Bigg Boss Tamil 4 where he earned a humongous fanbase and emerged as the winner of the season.

Aari's parents are Jithendran and Muthulakshmi. He is married to Nadhiya, a Sri Lankan Tamil human resources professional from the UK. The marriage took place in Kalikambal Temple at Parrys, Chennai on 18 November 2015 and the reception was held on 19 November 2015 in Taj Connemara. The couple has one child.

Aari has supported Tamil culture, language and agriculture. In 2018, he started a 'தமிழ் கையொப்பம்' (Tamil Signature) movement, where he wanted all the Tamil people to sign documents in Tamil script. He also was awarded the Guinness Book of World Records for most signatures on a whiteboard. He also holds the Guinness World Record after planting approximately 30,000 seedlings with 20,000 participants, in a 15 acre land, in collaboration with Sathyabama University.[12]