Vijay Sethupathi is one of the most endearing, intimate, and complex performers to have graced the screens of Tamil Nadu cinema. As the world celebrates his 46th birthday today, it warrants a look at some of his most unforgettable cinematic works. While Vijay Sethupathi has risen to prominence over the past few years, his journey as an actor began through indie, small-budget, and niche Tamil films. Vijay Sethupathi stands as a unique and charming outcome of this cinematic process. Even as he entered the realm of commercial cinema, the wit and tenderness of his performances still endure
Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom
This film was one of Vijay Sethupathi’s first performances that brought his name to the forefront of Tamil cinema. The utter brilliance of this comedic and sensitive film is brought out not just by Vijay Sethupathi alone but also through the collective intimacy and fraternity between the cast and the script. Vijay Sethupathi’s chemistry with the rest of the actors is so immensely natural and heartfelt that not for a second does the film feel artificially constructed.
Soodhu Kavvum
Vijay Sethupathi is an actor who is utterly brilliant and completely comfortable in the comedy genre. While a traditionally commercial hero would refuse to be part of the joke, Vijay Sethupathi embraces the loser complex of society; he revels and adorns himself in these portrayals of failure and incompetence. In this hilarious and subtly politically critical film, Vijay Sethupathi delicately performs the character of an inept con artist whose energy is perfectly matched by the phenomenal Karunakaran. These two brilliant and irreplaceable artists just bring so much texture and depth to their craft that it truly blesses Tamil cinema with so much artistic and cultural nuance.
Vikram Vedha
Whether it is a small-budget film with up-and-coming actors or a commercial film with established and famous performers, Vijay Sethupathi can handle it all. Vijay Sethupathi is a perfect emblem of acting that does not overpower the cast but instead intricately works with their co-stars emotions and thoughts. Although Madhavan is a veteran actor compared to him, Vijay Sethupathi’s performance in this film never fails to hold its own weight, with a strong and creatively articulated performance. This commercially successful and well-written film proves that the hero does not need to be the central force of the plot; instead, a true film committed to artistic and social integrity will deliver a critical and democratically complex perspective on many characters.
Master
In Master, we see Vijay Sethupathi yet again play a villain to a famed hero, this time Vijay. Although Master lacked a lot of depth in terms of plot and writing, the performances of both Vijay Sethupathi and Vijay truly do stand out and ultimately save the film from its poor foundation. While in this film Vijay Sethupathi plays a generic villain out for revenge, it’s still entertaining and exciting to watch Vijay Sethupathi perform on par with momentous heroes such as Vijay and still crave and claim his own space on screen. Even though his villain character was defeated in the end, Vijay Sethupathi’s performance never gave into any form of submission that would have been required by a commercial script.
Jawan
Jawan is the debut film of Director Atlee in Bollywood, who had scripted the film to be a pan-Indian creation with Shah Rukh Khan as its lead and Vijay Sethupathi as its villain. The film itself comes at an interesting point in the history of Tamil cinema and Bollywood cinema, as both seem to be eclipsing each other, interacting and interweaving with one another through both cinematic and social realms. In that sense, to see Vijay Sethupathi perform on a Bollywood-scale film with North Indian audiences witnessing and observing his work reveals how cinema in India is evolving and transforming itself across regional borders.
Actors like Vijay Sethupathi are the wallflowers that grow on the cracks of roads, deteriorating houses and buildings. The persistence of their being is a form of hope that even with overly saturated and mind-numbingly unimaginative commercial films, there are still performers and creatives who have integrity and soul. We see this spirit emulated and nurtured by actors like Fahadh Faasil, Karunakaran, Kaali Venkat, and Manikandan. Here’s to developing and featuring more truly talented and dedicated actors on screen for the genesis of an even more creative, progressive, and artistic Tamil cinema.
