Indian actor Vijay Sethupathi's 50-film journey from accountant to celebrated actor has been anything but ordinary.
Written and directed by Nithilan Saminathan (“Kurangu Bommai”), the Tamil “Maharaja”, the actor's 50th film, is an action-packed saga that mixes thriller elements with family drama and has the relationship between a father and daughter at its core. It emerged as one of the Tamil hits of the year.
The actor said he didn't specifically choose “Maharaja” as a milestone project, but was drawn to the story and the director's energy. “We make all our films with fear and passion. We just wanted to do what we imagined,” said Sethupathi. Diversity On the success of the film: “We didn't expect this. Of course, I'm happy. But we just hoped that my producer would raise money, and he would be safe. He invested a lot of money based on newspaper articles. [script] And actors too.”
When asked how his personal experience as a parent influenced his role in “Maharajah”, Sethupathi opened up about his relationship with his children. “I have a son and a daughter. I love my daughter very much. If she dominates me, I always love it. I call her 'Amma'. [mother] And my son 'Dad' [father]” said Sethupathi. The actor stressed the importance of open communication with his children, often sharing details about his work and even seeking their input. “I constantly talk to my children and whenever I shoot, if there is an interesting scene, I talk to them and share it with them,” he said. Sethupathi says he has a strong sense of responsibility for choosing material and takes his children's suggestions seriously. “I never present myself as a father figure. Sometimes, I am just a child,” he said.
Sethupathi started his professional life as an accountant and wanted to become an actor, so he initially joined a theater company where the only vacancy was for an accountant. She said, “I thought that if I went into accountancy, I would see actors every day. I would be able to be with them, I would be able to talk to them, and I would understand what acting is.” Sethupathi explained. “Everything was a lesson to me. Even lunch time was a lesson to me. Being with the actors was always a lesson.”
The actor’s subsequent journey from junior artist to lead actor is all the more striking when he recalls shooting his first scene as a lead actor in the same auditorium where he once worked as a bit part. “I never imagined that the circle would be so complete,” Sethupathi recalls. “I have so many circles like this.”
Since then, Sethupathi’s journey towards this landmark film has been marked by a string of critically acclaimed performances in Tamil cinema. His breakthrough role in the 2012 film “Pizza” established him as a talent to watch, while films like “Vikram Veda” (2017), “96” (2018) and “Super Deluxe” (2019) have solidified his reputation as one of the industry’s most versatile actors. Known for his ability to disappear into a variety of characters, Sethupathi has become a mainstay in both commercial and arthouse films.
“Maharaja” has been selected as the final night screening at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA), one of the oldest Indian-themed film festivals in the world. For Sethupathi, this is another perfect moment. He had previously been to LA for prosthetic makeup work for his 2018 film “Sithakathi.” “That was my 25th film. Now I am going back to LA for my 50th film, at the festival,” Sethupathi says. “Life is a beautiful script, and there are so many connections in my life.”
Another link was director Anurag Kashyap, who played the antagonist in Maharaja. The pair began working on a project that fell through in 2016. In 2018, Kashyap played the antagonist in Imaikkaa Nodigal, in which Sethupathi had an extended cameo but did not appear in any scenes together. A few years later, Kashyap asked Sethupathi to watch his directorial effort, Kennedy, and give him his feedback. “I watched the film and told him what I felt and what I thought about it, and he loved it,” Sethupathi recalls. “Then he came to me to say ‘special thanks’ when the film screened at Cannes. I was really surprised.”
With her recent foray into Hindi cinema with films like “Jawan” and “Merry Christmas” and the popular Prime Video series “Farzi”, Sethupathi has now become famous across India. “You have to read the lines 100 to 200 times to get the flow,” he said of working in Hindi. Since then, he has incorporated that methodology into his Tamil work as well. He is open to more Hindi projects and his approach in selecting projects remains consistent across the industry. “It depends on the script. I am listening to stories in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. I am just waiting for a good script.”
Sethupathi's next is Vetrimaaran's “Viduthalai Part 2”, a Disney+ Hotstar series that reunites him with “Aandavan Kattalai” and “Kadaisi Vivasayi” director M. Manikandan and Mysskin's “Train”.