I ask questions: Vijay Sethupathi

The actor spoke about his craft, choice of roles and the importance of the story in a film

Among the many actors who were in attendance at the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Vijay Sethupathi stood out. The actor has garnered pan India stardom after his roles in Super Deluxe, Farzi and Jawan. The south Indian star attracted a full house for his acting masterclass, Living the Character, moderated by Khushboo Sundar. Fans waited in line even after the session to catch a glimpse of the actor. 

On getting into character

In his conversation, he spoke about how he gets into character and what works best for him. “I try to understand the soul and the central essence of the character by asking questions — sometimes they could even be stupid questions,” he said. Sethupathi explained that he tries to understand the director and his thought process first and through him, tries to see the character. “There is no formula,” he said. 

He believes that people don’t watch films for the sake of the star. “They come to see the story and the character,” he said. Clarifying to the audience that he is happily married, Sethupathi said, “when I sit with my wife to watch my wedding video, we get very bored. There is nothing in it — we’re just standing together and people are moving. A film should grasp the audience.”

On improvisation

Talking about a dialogue from his film, Vikram Vedha — “ippo oda mudiyadu da, vayas aidchi,” (I can’t run anymore, I’m getting old), he revealed he had a ligament tear in his knee and was unable to perform even minor action sequences. “I didn’t want the audience to think I’m not putting any effort into my role, so I added that dialogue. That perhaps added more character to the role,” he said. 

On playing a transwoman

Sethupathi received a national award for his portrayal of a transwoman in the film Super Deluxe directed by Thiagarajan Kumararaja. Talking about how he came to play the role, he shared that Kumararaja met him to talk about his friend’s film. Sethupathi recalled how he had walked out of dubbing for Kumararaja’s earlier film. He thought it was boring. But when the film came out, he felt it was fantastic.

“So when he came to me, I told him that I want to work with him. He offered me a role and said that I could turn it down if I wanted to,” he recalled. After hearing the narration, Sethupathi immediately agreed. “He brings the best out of me,” he said about Kumararaja.

First silent film at IFFI

The actor’s silent film ‘Gandhi Talks’ was screened at IFFI under Gala premieres. The film opened to rave reviews in its first screening. Directed by Kishor Pandurang Belekar, it’s the first ever silent film to be screened at IFFI, according to PIB reports. Although staggered at parts, the film has a lot going for it. Music by A R Rahman, a stunning cast — Arvind Swamy, Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth Jadhav — and exhilarating frames will keep you hooked to the screen. The dark comedy revolves around a young unemployed man in desperate need of a job, a hapless businessman and a thief. Sethupathi never fails to impress. He is captivating and charming as the unemployed job seeker, Mahadeva.

The film would’ve sounded rather preachy if it was a dialogue-narrative. Its silent narrative makes it interesting. The director took 23 years to make this film. “When I lost my father, I went mum. I didn’t have anything to say,” Kishor said. Silence is the solution to everything, he added. 

Speaking about the film, Sethupathi said, “the protagonist responds to Gandhi on the currency notes but as the film progresses, he starts responding to Gandhi’s ideals”.