On landing a role in Suseenthiran's Vennila Kabaddi Kuzhu, Vishnu spent months tanning his skin and training in Kabaddi, in preparation for his debut film. His efforts eventually paid off.
Vishnu apparently studied the body language of alcoholics for playing the wastrel from the fishermen community, who wants to start afresh, in Seenu Ramasamy's National award-winning drama,Neerparavai.Vishnu Vishal, in his first full-fledged comic role, aced the 'photographer from the 80s' look in Ram Kumar's Mundasupatti.Vishnu, in a role similar to his real-life persona, was seen as the young aspiring cricketer, who dreams of playing for the India national cricket team, one day, in Suseenthiran's Jeeva.Vishnu was also part of Tamil Cinema's first and only science fiction comedy, Indru Netru Naalai, which made an entertainer out of time-travel concepts. Vishnu was seen as a budding entrepreneur.Vishnu played a rebel warrior, who struggles to uphold the rights of the Tamil Dalith people in Suseenthiran's Maaveeran Kittu, a period drama set in the 1980s.Vishnu, in his first cop role, played an aspiring filmmaker, who becomes a sub-inspector due to circumstances, and gets to investigate a missing school girls case in Ramkumar's crime drama Ratchasan.Vishnu Vishal has several interesting projects like Prabhu Solomon's Kaadan, Ezhil's Jagajaala Killadi, the Indru Netru Naalai sequel, and Manu Kumar's FIR in the pipeline.Vishnu also has an untitled sports film, written by Vijay Sethupathi, and co-starring Vikranth, in production. In addition, he has signed a three-film pact with Bollywood production house, Viacom 18.