Ajith Kumar gets candid about his decision to leave India: ‘I moved to Dubai for…’

Ajith Kumar opened up about his decision to move to Dubai, live independently, and distance himself from the glamour world.

There are actors, and then there is Ajith Kumar. The Tamil cinema icon is known for his love for professional motor racing. He also launched his racing team, Ajith Kumar Racing, last September. Recently, the 54-year-old actor spoke about why he has chosen a quieter life away from India.

Ajith Kumar with the Formula E car made by Mahindra in Spain.

In a chat with Anupama Chopra, Ajith opened up about his decision to dismiss his entourage and handle things himself. “But is this not what everybody does?” he said.

“I come from a very middle-class family. I had wonderful parents who were way ahead of their time, so I guess we were brought up to do things on our own. We were taught cooking at the age of seven or eight,” Ajith explained.

His grounded take stood out in an industry where the add-on expense that comes with an actor has seen a sharp rise. While Bollywood filmmakers often complain about rising entourage costs, Ajith’s approach is the complete opposite: minimal, self-reliant, and deeply personal.

“It can spoil you”

The Good Bad Ugly star did not dismiss the need for entourages entirely. He acknowledged why some actors depend on them. “I can understand why some people prefer to have others around to help them. That makes their lives easier. They have that much commitment to devote time to. It’s probably to save time. I don’t think that is wrong,” he explained.

Ajith went on to add that the real reason for him to stay away from it is that sometimes "it can spoil you.” “Initially, you have people who help you, but over a period of time, you expect that from everyone around you. It has happened to me in the past, and I am ashamed of it," he added.

Why Dubai feels like home

Ajith decided to move to Dubai for a quiet and simple life.

“I moved to Dubai for that reason. To stay away from all the noise. I am primarily here for motor sports as the major circuits happen here. It is helping me. I am having to do everything by myself, and I am loving it," he shared.

He admitted that life had not always been this simple. In his own words, if someone had met him two decades ago, they “would have probably hated” him. It was not arrogance, he clarified, but the result of having too many people around.

The actor reflected that having an entourage often made life more complicated, draining time and energy on managing others’ conflicts instead of his own work.

For him, that emotional weight was unnecessary, and choosing independence felt like the only way to live with clarity and peace.