She was called as "Punnagai Arasi" (Queen of the smiles - in Tamil) by her fans at a function held in Trichy. Vijaya was always the first choice of directors to portray the roles of Hindu goddesses due to her looks which was similar to conventional depictions. Apart from her essaying the role of Goddess Shakti in Mel Maruvathoor Arpudhangal (1986), she essayed the Mariamman avatar in the film Mahasakthi Mariamman (1986) and Kandhan Karunai (1967). K R Vijaya reminisces about her first director "who gave her life" K. S. Gopalakrishnan who also directed her in her 100th film Nathayil Muthu (1973). Apart from acting in many films, she has also acted in Raja Rajeswari and Kudumbam, two teleserials, that were telecast on television in both India and Sri Lanka.
