With Vivegam releasing on Thursday, Ajith fans are gearing up to catch the earliest possible show on the day. It's still not clear if early morning shows will be arranged in Tamil Nadu as is the practice for big star releases.

The uncertainty only adds to the excitement around the film. Ever since Ajith's six pack look was revealed, there has been quite a bit of speculation on the actor's transformation, with many initially suspecting that his body had been Photoshopped.

However the teasers confirmed that the actor has gone through a strict fitness regimen.

Ajith made his debut as lead hero in Kollywood with the 1993 film Amaravathi. The actor, who played romantic roles in a number of films like Aasai and Kadhal Kotai also experimented with playing the anti-hero once in a while, notably in Vaali.

In recent times, Ajith appears to be most comfortable in the action film genre.

Here's a look at how the actor's style has changed over the years:

In Amaravathi, Ajith sported a thick moustache like most heroes of the time. It would be the late '90s and early 2000s when "chocolate boy" heroes like Abbas, Siddharth and Madhavan began acting minus the moustache.

Ajith maintained the thick moustache with no beard look for a number of films, including hits like Aasai and Kadhal Kottai. However, he also experimented with a bit of stubble for roles that required him to look a bit more mature, as in Pavithra and Mugavari. Or in films where he had to portray a "rough and tough" character, like in Amarkalam.

In Dheena, which released in 2001, the thick moustache gave way to something lighter although Ajith did not get rid of his moustache entirely. It was back in place for films like Citizen and Poovellam Un Vasam.

For Red, Ajith shaved his head and looked distinctly different from his early days. By this time, the callow actors of the '90s who came in looking slim but not built up like Bollywood stars, had started taking their fitness seriously.

In Villain, the actor played twins, going "boyish" and changing his hairstyle for Vishnu who is mentally challenged.

In Varalaru, in which he played three roles, Ajith sported curly hair and looked quite distinct from his previous films.

With Billa, Ajith established himself as a stylish actor. He'd moved out of the romantic, college boy type of roles. He appeared comfortable with age showing on his face. Aegan, in which Ajith played an undercover cop, saw the actor sport a thick beard and moustache. As in Billa, he was quite happy flaunting his style. In Aasal, too, he had a well-groomed look. The 'stylish' Ajith reveled in playing the good guy with grey shades.

The salt-and-pepper hair Ajith emerged with Mankatha. His fans couldn't get enough of the look and he retained it for films like Aarambam, Vedalam, Veeram. In Yennai Arindhal, we saw the 'younger' Ajith but the older one had the salt-and-pepper hair minus the moustache.

His last release Vedalam showed a significantly bulky Ajith.

But with Vivegam, the actor is back with not just a super-fit body but his style remains intact!