'I come from a middle-class family, don't know the term vacation': Why Vijay Sethupathi doesn't take breaks between films

Vijay Sethupathi is the busiest actor in Indian cinema right now; he has a dozen films and web shows in the pipeline. He has been continuously working without taking a break, including during the lean period of the lockdown. After Kamal Haasan, he is the only Tamil star to explore multiple languages like Malayalam, Telugu, and Hindi.

"I guess you forgot Prakash Raj sir," said Vijay Sethupathi when I praised him for his ability to explore multiple languages. Later, when I explained that Prakash Raj rarely played the lead, he nodded.

"The art form is beyond our knowledge and sensibilities. I want to learn as much as I can in my lifetime. Many think that I don't know Hindi but thanks to my early career in Dubai, I can understand Hindi and used to speak fluently. But as I haven't been conversing much in Hindi off late, I have lost touch and I'm trying to picking up the language again now. When I acted in Uppena, Telugu was completely alien to me. But I picked up some lines mainly because of my neighbour doctor with whom I started interacting daily. To speak any language, you should understand its rhythm and sound."

"I also like understanding the vibe of each language. For example, people in Hindi generally speak a bit loudly as compared to Tamil. It also helps me to understand the characters written for me in each language. I have to act as the person who grew up in that land and not the usual Vijay Sethupathi who grew up in Tamil Nadu,"  said the actor.

"Cinema is magic. I have been in this industry for a while now but I'm unable to foresee the success and failure of my films. I'm sure that no one is that efficient to judge the box office performance of a film. When I signed Master, people discouraged me saying that I shouldn't have agreed to play a villain and it would affect my star status. But I didn't pay heed to those folks. Master turned out well mainly because of Lokesh and Vijay sir. Of course, I contributed a bit to make my character interesting. I generally interpret my scripts and characters to make sure that audiences don't get bored by my lines. I tell my directors to write unpredictable lines and scenes," he added.

In various interactions, Sethupathi had said that he has teamed up with superstars like Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, and Vijay to know how they enhance their characters on the sets and to crack their formulae to attract the audiences. "Yes, when you spend more time with these stars, they silently teach you so many lessons. I'm a constant observer of people around me".

While many stars take a break and go for a vacations every now and then, Sethupathi has been continuously shooting for various films. "I come from a middle-class family so we don't even know the term vacation. My dad used to work hard and all we know is how to save the earned money. Our vacation is to go to our native place and spend time with our extended family. Also, acting in multiple films doesn't affect my work much. I did all my celebrated films like Vikram Vedha, 96, and Super Deluxe without dates and managed somehow to be on the sets. I don't prepare much for my characters. I listen to my directors and interpret my roles with the knowledge I have. This might sound right to a few and wrong to many but that's my style."

Rumour has it Sethupathi was offered more than 50 crores for his upcoming Amazon Prime series with Shahid Kapoor. "I can only laugh at these reports. To be honest, I didn't even get 10% of the quoted amount. I might be a well-known star in Tamil but in Hindi, I'm a newcomer. They have only seen a few films of mine like Pizza, Vikram Vedha, Super Deluxe, and 96."

He also said that for outsiders, the film industry might look grand and flashy but actors and producers have their share of struggles. "Would you believe if I say that I didn't even get a single penny as a remuneration for a blockbuster film of mine? But I wouldn't talk about the film and the producer in public because no one is going to come out and help me. It would only end up as one among the 100 cases of news they read," revealed the actor about the dark side of showbiz.

Vijay Sethupathi also believes in destiny. "Somethings are meant to happen in a certain time and you don't have the power to change. For example, my upcoming film Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kadhal with Vignesh ShivN was supposed to happen long back. But my director got a chance to direct Suriya and I asked him to go ahead because he didn't earn much in our first collaboration Naanum Rowdy Dhaan. But now, we feel that both of us have the maturity to handle the script. Everything happens for a reason."

He confirmed that he would begin his new film with Katrina Kaif and Sriram Raghavan in April after the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections. "Currently, I'm acting in Vignesh ShivN's Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kadhal. After 10 March, I would start shooting for a Tamil film with director Ponram. Later, I have to register my vote in State Assembly Elections. I will travel by road to Mumbai to shoot for Sriram Raghavan and Katrina Kaif's film in April. After completing that film, I will be shooting for the web series with Shahid Kapoor. Presently, they are filming the portions with Shahid."

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