'You never know': Ajith gets candid on his retirement from acting and zest for life

Celebrated Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar, who was recently awarded the Padma Bhushan by the President of India, shared his thoughts about his retirement from acting and the need to celebrate life and not take anything for granted.

In an interview with India Today, the Good Bad Ugly actor said,
“You never know! It’s not about me planning when to retire, I could be forced into retirement. I don’t want to take anything for granted. People complain about life. To wake up and feel alive itself is a blessing. I am not being philosophical here.

I have been through surgeries and injuries. I have friends and family who are cancer survivors. We understand how valuable life is – just to be alive. I want to make use of every second of my life – want to make the most of it,” he added.

Ajith also spoke about how his entry into movies was accidental, saying,
“Acting was never on my radar. I am an accidental actor. After school, I started working in an auto manufacturing company for about six months. I was 18 when I started racing motorcycles… Then, before I started realising, I started doing print ads and TV commercials,” the actor added.

On the work front, Ajith is enjoying the success of his recently released Good Bad Ugly, which has grossed over ₹240 crores ($28 million) worldwide. The film is still going strong at the box office and is currently the third-highest-grossing Indian movie of 2025.