Tamil star Ajith Kumar has asked his fans to drop the prefix Thala from his name. In a statement released by his publicist and manager Suresh Chandra, the actor said that he will answer to Ajith, Ajith Kumar and AK but no longer to Thala. It is a common practice down south to refer actors like this with a prefix attached to their name. Rajinikanth's is Superstar or Thalaivar, Chiranjeevi’s is Megastar, Vijay - who has a perceived rivalry with Ajith - is called Thalapathy, and Ajith’s is - or was- known as Thala or neta.
The prefix stuck after his character in 2001 film Dheena in which he was named Thala Dheenadhayalan and since then his fans have called him Thala Ajith. The statement issued by the actor reads, “To the respected members of the media, public and genuine fans. I henceforth wish to be referred to as Ajith, Ajith Kumar or just AK and not as "Thala" or any other prefix before my name. I sincerely wish you all a beautiful life filled with good health, happiness, success, peace of mind and contentment forever. Love, Ajith."
— Suresh Chandra (@SureshChandraa) December 1, 2021
It remains to be seen how Ajith’s fans will react now and take up their rivalry against Vijay’s fans who is also called Thala. Ajith has not given any reason whatsoever for his request.
(Source: Twitter)
