Fans, haters and neutrals are sides of the same coin: Ajith Kumar

Ajith has often been targetted by anti-fans as their loyalties lie with other actors

Tamil star Ajith, who completed 30 years in the film industry on August 5, has thanked his fans for their constant support during his journey. In a heartfelt note, 'Thala' acknowledged the importance of 'haters' in his life, saying that the 'hate' he receives from detractors is just as important as the love of his supporters. He also gave a shout out to 'neutrals' for their frank unbiased views on his work.

Ajith rose to fame with his work in the 1993 release Amravathi and soon carved a niche for himself in Kollywood. He received praise for his work in films such as Aasai, Kadhal Kottai, and Kaadhal Mannan. It was, however, the 2001 release Dheena that established him as a mass hero and helped him earn his iconic nickname 'Thala'. He consolidated his standing in the industry with films such as Citizen, Villain, Kireedam and Billa.

The 2011 release Mankatha proved to be a gamechanger for Ajith as it saw him sport the salt-n-pepper look for the first time in his career. The Siva-directed Veeram, Vedalam and Viswasam helped him further expand his fan base.

The star was last seen in the courtroom drama Nerkonda Paarvai, which emerged as a commercial success despite being perceived as an 'urban film'. It was a remake of the Bollywood movie Pink and featured him in the role of a lawyer who fights for the rights of three women. It was directed by H Vinoth and produced by Boney Kapoor. He has reunited with the Nerkonda Paarvai team for Valimai.

The film is touted to be an action-thriller and reportedly features chase sequences at par with the ones seen in Hollywood biggies, The flick stars Huma Qureshi, who impressed the Tamil audience with her work in Rajinikanth's Kaala, as the leading lady and marks her first collaboration with the 'Ultimate Star'. Telugu actor Karthikeya, who rose to fame with his work in RX 100, plays the antagonist in what is the first Kollywood film of his career.