Ajith Kumar Reveals He Took Up Acting To Fund His Passion For Racing: "Wanted Money To Pay Back My Debts"

Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar recently shared that he entered the film industry "by chance" to support his love for racing. In a conversation with India Today, he described himself as an "accidental actor."

"Acting was never on my radar. I am an accidental actor," Ajith said. He explained that he initially worked at an automobile company before entering cinema. At 18, his parents couldn't finance his racing interests because "motorsports is very expensive" and told him to find his own funding.

Ajith then took up modelling after being approached by a coordinator. "I started getting assignments and the money I made there [in modelling], I used to spend it on racing," he said.

Coming from outside the film industry, Ajith admitted his candour sometimes surprised people. He recalled telling a journalist, "I was very naive, and I remember being asked a question by a journalist about what made me take up acting. I told the person that I had debts due to my failed business and that my idea was to do a couple of films and pay my debts. He was flabbergasted. So he asked me if I came in for the money. I told him, 'How many people have the intention of paying back debt? So, why don't you appreciate me agreeing to take a leap into the dark - an unknown territory?' It wasn't like someone casually asked me to come and act. It was an audition and I cracked it. I had to prove myself worthy of an opportunity and that too, in a language I didn't know."

Ajith acknowledged he wasn't naturally talented at first: "I didn't come to the industry wanting to be famous or seeking fame. I wanted money to pay back my debts. If you see my first few films, I was a terrible actor."

Ajith was last seen in Good Bad Ugly, which received mixed reviews but became 2025's highest-grossing Tamil film, earning Rs 240 crore worldwide.