At the massive prison set erected inside Binny Mills in Perambur, Vijay Sethupathi, in sky-blue shirt and lungi, has just returned from a lengthy shoot sequence. Apologising for the hour-long delay, he takes us into his air-conditioned caravan, but only after an autograph-and-photo session with a group of fans waiting patiently outside. Finally, he organises refreshments for us, leans back, and settles down for conversation.
Does it feel awkward when people come up for pictures and autographs?
I simply remember that it is not about me at all. Let me explain. Who do we take pictures with? With those we are intimate with, like relatives and friends. People who come to me for photos are those who believe they have created intimacy with me, by investing in my emotions on screen. I respect their sentiment.
Clearly, you are much sought-after today. Has success changed you?
The people around me have changed. I don’t think I have. Wait, I think I may have grown a bit as an actor. So, insofar as my acting ability is concerned, I guess I have changed.
How exactly?
I am more confident and don’t feel self-conscious any more. I have to thank director Gokul with whom I did Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara , for my present complete lack of inhibition.
In many ways, the film was a training lesson. I came out from it, brimming with vitality.
In a recent interview with us, Arya mentioned admiring your knack for adding detail into your scenes.
(smiles) I offer suggestions, especially when it comes to dialogues. For example, in Purampokku , the film I’m shooting with Arya, I’m supposed to say ‘Nadandhu pogalaam’ in a scene. I felt it would be better if I said, ‘Odanumnu thonudhu sir’ instead. The director agreed with my suggestion. These are the inputs that Arya was probably talking about.
You are also making a debut as a dialogue writer with Orange Mittai . Is this new role an extension of what you just said about dialogue suggestions?
I’m not sure. It was no easy job though. I sat for days without coming up with a single line. As I don’t read much, writing doesn’t come naturally to me. Then, I discovered a method that worked. I’d act in front of a camera, and speak the lines that seemed appropriate for a scene. I’d then watch the video and write down those lines. It’s a laborious process, yes, but it worked for me.
So you had to act as all the characters in the film to be able to write down their dialogues?
Yes. And it wasn’t difficult for me to switch from one character to the other, as I’d already let the story and its characters simmer in my head for months.
After Soodhu Kavvum , you are returning to the role of an elderly man, a 55-year-old this time, in Orange Mittai .
I wasn’t convinced at all that I could do justice. Director Biju made me feel comfortable about it. I’m sure there are people calling me an ‘aarva kolaaru’ (over-enthusiastic) already. I wish they knew that I don’t do these roles to ‘stand out’.
All the films you are working on, with the exception of Mellisai , are multi-hero subjects.
Yes. I’m acting with Kreshna in Vanmham , with Arya and Shaam in Purampokku , with Vishnu in Idam Porul Eval , and with RJ Ramesh in Orange Mittai . Mellisai is my respite. It is a story that breaks traditional notions of safety and security. It talks about how you’re not necessarily secure even when in your home.
As the director told me in his narration, “Unnoticed by you, the town is watching your every move”.
Have you ever watched a foreign film that got you wishing you were a part of it?
I hardly watch any English films. By the time I finish reading the subtitles, the scene is over… (laughs) I’m a big fan of old Tamil films though. There’s an ocean of film knowledge in them for those who care to seek it. Films like Thillana Mohanambal (1968), Rajapat Rangadhurai (1973), Ratha Kanneer (1954), and Puthiya Paravai (1964) move me. Many ingenious scenes lie undetected in such films.
Are the choices of your stories motivated, in a way, by a certain pressure to deliver?
I agree that there is pressure. I was overwhelmed by the reaction of the audience to my cameos in Jigarthanda and Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam . However, I don’t let the burden of expectations decide my choices. I pay close attention to the kadhayin pokku (story flow), when I’m listening to narrations. I trust my gut feeling with picking the right ones, and aim simply to entertain. I don’t worry about the future. I have never.
Never?
Not even when I was an aimless teenager. My father, a civil engineer, told me I needed ambition. I simply wanted to know why it was wrong that I didn’t have one. In a way, Orange Mitaai , my first production, is like that. The emphasis is on the journey, not the destination.
For a teenager with no aspirations, you have done fairly well for yourself.
(laughs) All credit to my college friends who got me thinking about films by telling me that I looked better in photographs than I do in real life.
And did you take that as an insult or a compliment?
Oops... I think I was too quick in taking it as a compliment!
