Vishal Krishna Reddy, popularly known as Vishal, was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He was born to G. K. Reddy, a granite businessman and Janaki Devi. Actor and producer Vikram Krishna is his brother.
Vishal was a student of Don Bosco Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Chennai. He completed a degree in Visual Communications at Loyola College, Chennai.
Vishal started his journey in the film industry as an assistant director to Arjun Sarja. His career took a new turn when one of the producers noticed him while working on the sets of Arjun Sarja's directorial venture Vedham (2001) and offered him an acting role.
To hone his acting skills and prepare for his debut, Vishal joined the Tamil theatre group Koothu-P-Pattarai.
Vishal began his acting career with A.R. Gandhi Krishna's directorial debut, Chellame (2004). His portrayal of Raghunandhan, an income tax officer, got positive reviews from critics.
He next played the lead role in Sandakozhi (2005),an action film directed by N. Linguswamy. He played the role of an engineering student standing up against a local gangster.
The film became a big hit at the box office and was screened for more than 200 days in Chennai. It marked the beginning of his evolution into an action hero.
Following a cameo appearance in Dishyum (2006),Vishal played the leading man in Thimiru (2006),an action entertainer made under the direction of Tarun Gopi. He received praise for his powerful acting in the movie as a student with a troubled past.
The film proved to be another big success at the box office. It went on to complete 100 days of screening at the theatres. Thimiru further established Vishal's image as an action hero in Tamil cinema.
In the same year, Karu Pazhaniappan's film Sivappathikaaram (2006) was released, which belonged to the political action genre. Vishal portrayed the character of an angry young man in the film who fights against the current political system due to its shortcomings.
Vishal was next seen in Karu Pazhaniappan, a family action drama directed by Hari that once again proved his potential as an action hero. The film completed 100 days in the theatres and gained considerable success at the box office.
Later that year, he played the lead role in Boopathy Pandian's action movie Malaikottai (2007),co-starring Priyamani. The film received mixed reviews.
His next releases included Sathyam (2008) and Thoranai (2009). He was the leading man in Theeradha Vilaiyattu Pillai (2010),which marked his first collaboration with director Thiru.
In Avan Ivan (2011),directed and written by Bala, Vishal ventured into the realm of dark comedy and portrayed a rural actor with a squint. His performance received significant acclaim, earning him the Special Jury Award at the 2012 Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards.
The following year, he was seen playing the lead role in films like Samar (2013) and Pattathu Yaanai (2013),both of which belonged to the action genre. Samar (2013) was Vishal's second collaboration with Thiru.
Pandiya Naadu (2013),an action drama released towards the end of the year, showcased the transformation of an average young man into an enraged one after his family was harmed. The film also marked Vishal's debut in production under his banner, Vishal Film Factory.
He bagged the SIIMA Award for Best Debutant Producer in 2014 for this film.
Following Pandiya Naadu, Vishal starred in Naan Sigappu Manithan (2014),a revenge action thriller in which he portrayed a character afflicted with narcolepsy, a rare neurological condition. This marked his third collaboration with Thiru. Vishal conducted extensive research by studying documentaries and literature to prepare for the role, which was well-received by critics.
For his next film, Poojai (2014),Vishal collaborated with Hari for a second time.
Over the years, Vishal continued to appear in a wide variety of films, such as Aambala (2015),Paayum Puli (2015),Kathakali (2016),Thupparivaalan (2017),Sandakozhi 2 (2018),Ayogya (2019),Chakra (2021),and Veerame Vaagai Soodum (2022),among others.
His last appearance was in Laththi (2022),an action thriller directed by A. Vinoth Kumar.
Vishal made his debut on TV in 2018 with the talk show "Sun Na
