He then appeared in Monalisa, Jogi, Shree and Ee Rajeev Gandhi Alla, and also accepted roles in television.

Vijay was cast as a kind, naive village boy who falls into the hands of underworld goons who use him as a henchman.

In Chanda, which was directed by S. Narayan, who had supposedly agreed with Vijay to release the film six weeks after Yuga to avoid a clash.

The matter was settled with the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), which imposed a year-long ban on Vijay.

In 2009, Vijay appeared in action-oriented films, such as MR Ramesh's Thaakath and Junglee, which was directed by Soori, and Sadhu Kokila's Devru.

[18] His subsequent release Jayammana Maga, a psychological thriller and his first production venture under his company "Duniya Talkies", attracted positive critical reviews and his performance was noted.

[22] In 2016, Vijay's first release was Yogaraj Bhat's much-hyped film Dana Kayonu, in which he starred alongside Priyamani.

[26] On 6 November 2016, while filming the climax fight scene for Masti Gudi, two stuntmen playing the villains Anil and Uday, along with Vijay, jumped from a helicopter into Thippagondanahalli Reservoir.

[27] Following this incident, the KFCC imposed a ban on Vijay, director Nagashekar and stunt choreographer Ravi Varma until further notice.