Vijay Sethupathi
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Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi Kalimuthu (born 16 January 1978) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in
Tamil films Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...
. He has also worked in
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...
,
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
and
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
language and done over 50 Films in his career. He is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award, two
Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...
and two
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The aw ...
, Following a stint as an
NRI NRI or Nri may refer to : * Kingdom of Nri, an Igbo kingdom that flourished between the 10th century and early 20th century * National Radio Institute, a now defunct post-secondary vocational correspondence school * National Resources Inventory * N ...
accountant An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certifi ...
in
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
, Sethupathi started his film career working as a
background actor A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera, or ballet production who appears in a nonspeaking or nonsinging (silent) capacity, usually in the background (for example, in an audience or busy street ...
and initially played minor supporting roles before his first lead role in '' Thenmerku Paruvakaatru'' (2010). In 2012, he rose to fame with '' Sundarapandian'', ''
Pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, onions ...
'' and ''
Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom ''Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom'' (), abbreviated as ''NKPK'', is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language black comedy film, written and directed by Balaji Tharaneetharan in his directorial debut. Produced by V. S. Rajkumar under the studio Leo Vision, ...
''. Sethupathi established himself as a successful actor with the films, such as ''
Soodhu Kavvum ''Soodhu Kavvum'' () is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language black comedy crime film written and directed by Nalan Kumarasamy. It features Vijay Sethupathi, Bobby Simha, Ashok Selvan, Ramesh Thilak, Karunakaran and Sanchita Shetty in the lead roles. T ...
'' (2013), '' Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara'' (2013), ''
Pannaiyarum Padminiyum ''Pannaiyarum Padminiyum'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film directed by debutant S. U. Arun Kumar, based on his own eponymous short-film. Arun Kumar was a contestant in ''Naalaya Iyakunar'' . It features Vijay Sethupathi, Ja ...
'' (2014), ''
Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum ''Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Nalan Kumarasamy in his second feature film after ''Soodhu Kavvum''. Produced by C. V. Kumar under his Thirukumaran Entertainment banner, ...
'' (2016), ''
Iraivi ''Iraivi'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language crime drama film written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj and produced by C. V. Kumar, K. E. Gnanavel Raja and Abinesh Elangovan under their banners Thirukumaran Entertainment, Studio Green and Abi ...
'' (2016), '' Vikram Vedha'' (2017), '' '96'' (2018), '' Chekka Chivantha Vaanam'' (2018), '' Petta'' (2019), '' Master'' (2021), '' Vikram'' (2022), '' Jawan'' (2023) and ''
Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...
'' (2024). For playing a trans woman in '' Super Deluxe'' (2019), he won the
National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor The National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Supporting Actor (), is an honour presented annually at India's National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), an ...
.


Early life

Vijay Sethupathi was born on 16 January 1978 and was raised in
Rajapalayam Rajapalayam () is a City in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the largest municipality in the Virudhunagar district. Rajapalayam is located in the Madurai to Quilon National Highway at a distance of 562 km south to the state capita ...
until he moved to
Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
in 6th class. He lived in Ennore located in North Chennai. He attended the MGR Higher Secondary School in
Kodambakkam Kodambakkam (also known as K-Town or Kollywood) is a business and residential neighbourhood in Central Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The neighbourhood is served by Kodambakkam railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network. Kodambakkam h ...
and Little Angels Mat. Hr. Sec. School. According to Sethupathi, he was a "below-average student right from school" and was neither interested in sports nor extra-curricular activities.Limitton, Teena (23 May 2013
My Struggle is my Strength: Vijay Sethupathi
''Deccan Chronicle''
At age 16, he auditioned for a role in ''
Nammavar ''Nammavar'' () is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan and produced by B. Venkatarama Reddy. The film stars Kamal Haasan and Gautami, while Nagesh, Senthil, Kovai Sarala, Srividya and Karan play supporting ro ...
'' (1994), but was rejected due to his short height. Sethupathi did a series of odd jobs for pocket money: salesman at a retail store, cashier at a fast food joint and a phone booth operator. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Dhanraj Baid Jain College (an affiliate of the University of Madras) in Thoraipakam. A week after he finished college, he joined as an account assistant at a wholesale cement business. He had to take care of three siblings and moved to
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
,
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
as an accountant because it paid him four times more than what he was making in India. While in Dubai, he met his future-wife, Jessie, online. The two dated, eventually marrying in 2003. Unhappy with his job, he returned to India in 2003. After a brief stint in the interior decoration business with friends, he joined a marketing company that dealt with readymade kitchens when he saw
Koothu-P-Pattarai Koothu-P-Pattarai is a prominent Tamil theatre group that has organised plays for 31 years. The group has its base in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in South India. It conducts speech training in a theatre speech laboratory and conducts workshops teaching ...
's poster. He recalled director Balu Mahendra remarking that he had a "very photogenic face", and motivated him to pursue an acting career; however he never cast Sethupathi in his films.


Career


2006–2011

He subsequently joined the Chennai-based theatre group
Koothu-P-Pattarai Koothu-P-Pattarai is a prominent Tamil theatre group that has organised plays for 31 years. The group has its base in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in South India. It conducts speech training in a theatre speech laboratory and conducts workshops teaching ...
as an accountant and actor where he observed actors from close quarters. He made his beginnings as a
background actor A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera, or ballet production who appears in a nonspeaking or nonsinging (silent) capacity, usually in the background (for example, in an audience or busy street ...
, particularly playing the role of the lead character's friend in a few films. He also acted in television series, including the well-known series ''Penn'' that began in March 2006, as well as several short films as part of the television show ''Nalaya Iyakunar'' for Kalaignar TV. He worked with Karthik Subbaraj on many short films, who later cast him in his first feature film, subsequently garnering him the Best Actor award for one of his films at the Norway Tamil Film Festival short film competition. Sethupathi accompanied a group of actors who went to director Selvaraghavan's studio to audition for his gangster film ''
Pudhupettai ''Pudhupettai'' is a 2006 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language crime action film written and directed by Selvaraghavan. The film stars the director's brother Dhanush in the lead role, while Sonia Agarwal and Sneha (actress), Sneha play suppor ...
'' (2006) and was selected to play
Dhanush Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Starring in 46 films over his career, among hi ...
's friend in the film. After making an appearance in Prabu Solomon's ''
Lee Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...
'' (2007), he was cast by director Suseenthiran in minor supporting roles in his first two projects, '' Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu'' (2009) and '' Naan Mahaan Alla'' (2010). Sethupathi would later credit Suseenthiran with having had an "important role in helping him realise his dreams". In 2010, he was associated with a Tamil-Kannada bilingual film called ''
Akhaada ''Akhaada'' is a 2019 Kannada film written and directed by Shiva Ganesh. Despite beginning in production in the early 2010s, the film remained unreleased before the makers chose to release it via YouTube in July 2019. Notably, the film's antagon ...
''. While he was selected to play the lead in the Tamil version, the director offered him the antagonistic role in its Kannada version. However, the film did not see a theatrical release. Director Seenu Ramasamy identified Sethupathi's talent during the audition of his film and Sethupathi landed his first lead role in Ramasamy's drama film '' Thenmerku Paruvakaatru'' (2010), in which he portrayed a
shepherd A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...
, the film went on to win three
National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...
including the prize for the Best Tamil Feature Film of that year. He played a man from a lower class in '' Varnam'' (2011).


2012–2013

2012 marked a turning point in Sethupathi's career; all his three releases were critical and commercial successes, resulting in a rise in his popularity. He was first seen in a negative role in '' Sundarapandian'' which featured
M. Sasikumar Mahalingam Sasikumar (born 28 September 1974) is an Indian film director, actor, singer and producer. He worked as an assistant director for director Bala in '' Sethu'' (1999), also worked for director Ameer in his first two films ''Mounam Pe ...
in the lead role, and then played the lead roles in the directorial debuts of Karthik Subbaraj and
Balaji Tharaneetharan Balaji Tharaneetharan is a Tamil film director and he made directorial debut with 2012 comedy film ''Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom'' that released on 30 November 2012 to highly positive reviews from critics. Career Balaji Tharaneetharan made ...
, the thriller film ''
Pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, onions ...
'' and the comedy entertainer ''
Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom ''Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom'' (), abbreviated as ''NKPK'', is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language black comedy film, written and directed by Balaji Tharaneetharan in his directorial debut. Produced by V. S. Rajkumar under the studio Leo Vision, ...
'', respectively. He enacted the role of Michael, a delivery boy in the former and a young man named Prem who sustains short-term memory loss two days before his marriage in the latter, with his performance in both films being praised by critics. Malini Mannath from ''
The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...
'' in her review of ''Pizza'' wrote: "Sethupathy, a delight to watch, carries the entire film on his shoulders. His voice perfectly modulated, he proves his versatility and acumen to handle any role. Michael's nightmarish experience, and his fear and horror when he's trapped in the mansion, is perfectly conveyed by the actor". His performance in ''Pizza'' earned him his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. With regard to ''Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom'', ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' reviewer M. Suganth cited that Sethupathi "continues his superb show from ''Pizza'' conveying Prem's peculiar condition with vacant stares and amusing pauses between his lines", further noting: "That he never makes the character's repetitive dialogues irritating is a proof of his terrific timing". According to a survey published by
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Tamil, ''Pizza'' and ''Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom'' claimed the first two spots in list of Best Films, and both films competed at the 2013 Norway Tamil Film Festival, while Sethupathi won two awards, one for each film, at the Edison Awards and the
Big FM Tamil Entertainment Awards BIG Tamil Entertainment Award is an accolade presented by the Reliance Broadcast Network Limited under three broad categories: Television, Film, Arts. Part of the BIG Regional Entertainment Awards, the awards were presented first in 2011 for th ...
. By the end of the year, Indiaglitz.com named Sethupathi as one of 2012's best Tamil actors, and called him "the rising star of Kollywood" whilst film critic Baradwaj Rangan stated that Sethupathi had become " ..sort of nindie-film star, the first ever in Tamil cinema". In 2013, he was first seen in the crime comedy ''
Soodhu Kavvum ''Soodhu Kavvum'' () is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language black comedy crime film written and directed by Nalan Kumarasamy. It features Vijay Sethupathi, Bobby Simha, Ashok Selvan, Ramesh Thilak, Karunakaran and Sanchita Shetty in the lead roles. T ...
'' that saw him playing the role of a forty-year-old kidnapper. The film opened to extremely positive reviews and has become a huge success at the box office. Malini Mannath from ''
The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...
'' in her review wrote: "It's laudable that the actor doesn't hesitate to take a role that has him playing a 40-year-old man, greying and with a paunch". ''The Times of India'' reviewer N. Venkateswaran cited that "His knack of choosing good roles and working with new directors brimming with ideas will stand him in good stead, as also the work he puts in to portray each character. He put on weight and grew a beard to play Das, and the look fits him to a 'T'". His next release was '' Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara'', directed by Gokul. It was met with positive reviews by critics and Vijay Sethupathi's performance was highly praised. Haricharan Pudipeddi from ''
The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...
'' in his review wrote : "Vijay Sethupathi has become a darling of the masses. Scene after scene, the audience hoots and cheers for him in unison." ''
Rediff Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City. , it had more than 300 e ...
'' reviewer S.Saraswathi cited that "His greatest strength lies in being able to counter the stereotypical image of heroes in commercial cinema today. In every film, we see him in a completely different avatar, and his latest film is no different. Vijay Sethupathi seems to have the knack of choosing the right role and script and he effortlessly slips into his character as Kumar." ''Behindwoods'' stated that Sethupathi "has done it yet again, raising his pennant higher, making himself more visible to his fervent fans. The depth in his innocence and the foolhardiness in his love are a couple of things that stand tall in the character he plays, and Vijay Sethupathi has pulled it off in grand style.".


2014–2015

In 2014, his films ''
Rummy Rummy is a group of matching-card games notable for similar gameplay based on matching cards of the same rank or sequence and same suit. The basic goal in any form of rummy is to build '' melds'' which can be either sets (three or four of a k ...
'' and ''
Pannaiyarum Padminiyum ''Pannaiyarum Padminiyum'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film directed by debutant S. U. Arun Kumar, based on his own eponymous short-film. Arun Kumar was a contestant in ''Naalaya Iyakunar'' . It features Vijay Sethupathi, Ja ...
'' were released, both directed by debutants. ''
Pannaiyarum Padminiyum ''Pannaiyarum Padminiyum'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film directed by debutant S. U. Arun Kumar, based on his own eponymous short-film. Arun Kumar was a contestant in ''Naalaya Iyakunar'' . It features Vijay Sethupathi, Ja ...
'', based on its same-titled short film, revolved around an old man and his vintage car
Premier Padmini The Premier Padmini was a four-seat saloon manufactured in India from 1964 to 2001 by Premier Automobiles Limited, a division of the Walchand Group, under license from Fiat and marketed initially as the ''Fiat 1100 Delight'' — and from 197 ...
, with Sethupathi starring as its
chauffeur A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine. Originally, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to speciali ...
. The film opened to predominantly positive reviews from critics and is the only Tamil film which has been selected to be screened at the 19th International Film Festival of Kerala. The same year ''Akhaada'' resurfaced in the media as it was being dubbed into Tamil as ''Edakku'' by its makers, to profit from Sethupathi's popularity in Tamil Nadu. The film was being promoted as a Sethupathi film, with the actor being prominently featured in the posters, although he had only a minor role in it, and Sethupathi stated that the audience would feel cheated after seeing the film, if it was promoted this way. He was next seen in the action drama ''
Vanmam ''Vanmam'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by Jai Krishna, a former assistant of Kamal Haasan. It stars Vijay Sethupathi, Kreshna and Sunaina. The film has music scored by S. Thaman and cinematography by Balabhara ...
'' directed by debutant Jaikrishna. Though the film was met with average reviews, Sethupathi's performance was praised by critics. Malini Mannath from ''
The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...
'' in his review wrote : "It's Vijay Sethupathi's film the whole way. The actor renders a power packed performance, capturing each nuance of the character with precision and understanding". ''Behindwoods'' stated that the stand out element in the film is Vijay Sethupathi, who has managed to attach his performance to the nativity of the location to the best of his ability. The actor scores effortlessly in some portions, one of them being the scene where he breaks into Kreshna's house under the influence of alcohol. In 2015, he was first seen in the political thriller ''
Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai ''Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai'' () is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language political thriller film co-produced, written and directed by S. P. Jananathan, which stars Arya, Shaam, Vijay Sethupathi, and Karthika. Also produced by UTV Motion Pictures, t ...
'' directed by S. P. Jananathan. It was met with positive reviews by critics and Sethupathi's performance was highly praised. ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' reviewer M. Suganth cited that "Vijay Sethupathi redeems everything with a sensitive performance.Balusamy might be the film's central character, but it is Yamalingam who is its beating heart." ''
Rediff Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City. , it had more than 300 e ...
'' reviewer S.Saraswathi cited that "Vijay Sethupathi, as a tormented soul loath to pull the lever that will release the trapdoor and take a life, is perhaps the best." In July 2015, his first movie as producer ''
Orange Mittai ''Orange Mittai'' (Orange Candy) is a 2015 Indian Tamil language comedy film co-written and directed by Biju Viswanath. Produced by actor Vijay Sethupathi, the film stars him alongside Ramesh Thilak, Aashritha, Arumughan Bala and Karunakaran. ...
'' directed by
Biju Viswanath Biju Viswanath is an Indian film director, director of photography, film editor and screenwriter. Across various genres, he has made numerous films in different languages, notably, English, Tamil, Malayalam, Irish, Swahili & Urdu. He has also ...
got released and met with positive reviews by the critics and entertainment portals. He was next seen in the rom-com ''
Naanum Rowdy Dhaan ''Naanum Rowdy Dhaan'' () is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Vignesh Shivan, produced by actor Dhanush under his banner Wunderbar Films, and distributed by Lyca Productions. The film stars Vijay Sethupat ...
'' directed by
Vignesh Shivan Vignesh Shivan, credited sometimes as Vignesh Shivn (born 18 September 1985) is an Indian film director, film producer, actor, singer and lyricist who works in Tamil cinema. Personal life Shivan and actress Nayanthara had been in a relationshi ...
which became his highest-grossing movie until date.


2016–present

In 2016, he was first seen in the police action thriller '' Sethupathi'' directed by S. U. Arunkumar. Sethupathi received praise for his performance. Vishal Menon of
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
said that it was a good thriller and a better family drama. Latha Srinivasan of DNA wrote that there were no loud over-the-top dialogues and punchlines that were typical of all on-screen cops in Tamil films and Vijay Sethupathi outshone many other Kollywood heroes as the cop. Malini Mannath of
The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...
wrote that, "It is another feather in the cap for Vijay Sethupathi, who is revealing his versatility yet again as he handles his role with remarkable understanding." Anupama Subramaniam of
Deccan Chronicle ''Deccan Chronicle'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded by Rajagopal Mudaliar in the 1930s & currently owned by Samagrah Commercial Pvt Limited. It is published in Hyderabad, Telangana, by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited ( ...
wrote that, "Sethupathi's moves are full of energy and enthusiasm and his impeccable dialogue delivery is a treat to watch." He was next seen in the romantic comedy ''
Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum ''Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Nalan Kumarasamy in his second feature film after ''Soodhu Kavvum''. Produced by C. V. Kumar under his Thirukumaran Entertainment banner, ...
'' by Nalan Kumaraswamy. His next release was ''
Iraivi ''Iraivi'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language crime drama film written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj and produced by C. V. Kumar, K. E. Gnanavel Raja and Abinesh Elangovan under their banners Thirukumaran Entertainment, Studio Green and Abi ...
'' followed by ''
Dharma Durai Dharma Durai may refer to: * Dharma Durai (1991 film), an Indian Tamil-language action drama film * Dharma Durai (2016 film) ''Dharma Durai'' is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language slice-of-life drama film directed by Seenu Ramasamy. The film stars Vija ...
'' by Seenu Ramasamy, '' Aandavan Kattalai'' and '' Rekka''. He was nicknamed Makkal Selvan ( people's man) by Seenu Ramasamy while filming Dharma Durai, and has been popularly known by that since. His next release was the long delayed mystery-thriller ''
Puriyatha Puthir ''Puriyatha Puthir'' () is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language romantic thriller film directed by Ranjit Jeyakodi and produced by Deepan Boopathy and Ratesh Velu under, ''Rebel Studio Productions''. Vijay Sethupathi, Gayathrie, and Mahima Nambiar featu ...
''. Then, he appeared in the rural drama ''
Karuppan ''Karuppan'' is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by R. Panneerselvam, starring Vijay Sethupathi, Tanya Ravichandran and Bobby Simha. The film began production during January 2017 and released on 29 September ...
'' directed by
R. Panneerselvam R. Panneerselvam (born 10 April 1970) is an Indian/Tamil action film director. His films include '' Renigunta'' (2009) starring the actor known as Johnny. In 2016 his film Renigunta was later remade & released in Kannada as ''Mandya to Mumba ...
. In 2017, he appeared in the neo-noir action thriller film '' Vikram Vedha'' in the lead role alongside Madhavan, which earned him his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. In 2018, his first release was ''
Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren ''Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren'' () is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language black comedy film, written and directed by P. Arumuga Kumar. The film stars Vijay Sethupathi, Gautham Karthik, Gayathrie and Niharika Konidela. Viji Chandrasekhar, Ramesh Thilak ...
'' directed by Arumugakumar. Then, he acted in the action comedy '' Junga'' which was directed by Gokul and was produced by Sethupathi. He then appeared in
Mani Ratnam Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six Nat ...
's multi-starrer '' Chekka Chivantha Vaanam''. He then starred in C. Prem Kumar's romantic drama '' '96'' alongside
Trisha Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia. Notable people and characters with the name include: People *Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983) * Trisha Baptie (born 1973 ...
which released a week after the release of ''Chekka Chivantha Vaanam''. '''96'' earned him his second Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. He then acted in the
Balaji Tharaneetharan Balaji Tharaneetharan is a Tamil film director and he made directorial debut with 2012 comedy film ''Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom'' that released on 30 November 2012 to highly positive reviews from critics. Career Balaji Tharaneetharan made ...
-directorial '' Seethakaathi'', Thiagarajan Kumararaja's '' Super Deluxe'' and has acted in a negative role in Karthik Subbaraj's '' Petta'' alongside
Rajinikanth Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 160 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannad ...
. During the second half of 2019, he made his Malayalam and Telugu debuts with ''
Maarconi Mathaai ''Maarconi Mathaai'' is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film written and directed by Sanil Kalathil, who directed ''Uthara''. The film starring Jayaram, Vijay Sethupathi and Athmiya Rajan marks Vijay Sethupathi's debut in Malayal ...
'' and '' Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy'', respectively. In 2019, ''
Film Companion Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...
'' ranked Sethupathi's performance in '' Aandavan Kattalai'' and '' Super Deluxe'' among the ''100 Greatest Performances of the Decade''. His performance in the latter won him the
National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor The National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Supporting Actor (), is an honour presented annually at India's National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), an ...
. In 2020, he starred in ''
Ka Pae Ranasingam ''Ka Pae Ranasingam'' () is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language political drama film directed by P. Virumaandi in his directorial debut. The film stars Aishwarya Rajesh and Vijay Sethupathi. Based on a true story, the film follows Ariyanachi (Aishwary ...
'' starring Aishwarya Rajesh. In October 2020, it was announced that Sethupathi would play the lead role of Sri Lankan cricketer
Muttiah Muralitharan Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan ( si, මුත්තයියා මුරලිදරන්, ta, முத்தையா முரளிதரன், also spelt Muralidaran; born 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, former professional c ...
in the biopic titled ''800''. Sethupathi later announced that he was opting out of the film on Muralitharan's request after political controversy regarding the role. In 2021, Sethupathi appeared in Lokesh Kanagaraj's film '' Master'' alongside Vijay. He then appeared in the Telugu film '' Uppena'', which was written and directed by Bucchi Babu Sana. After ''Uppena'', Sethupathi appeared in three films in the month of September in 2021, ''
Laabam ''Laabam'' () is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by S. P. Jananathan. It stars Vijay Sethupathi and Shruti Haasan with Jagapathi Babu, Sai Dhanshika, and Kalaiyarasan in pivotal roles. Ramji was hired as cine ...
'', ''
Tughlaq Durbar ''Tughlaq Durbar'' is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language political satire film written and directed by Delhi Prasad Deenadayalan, on his directional debut, with screenplay and dialogues written by Balaji Tharaneetharan. The film stars Vijay Sethupat ...
'' and ''
Annabelle Sethupathi ''Annabelle Sethupathi'' is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language horror comedy film directed by Deepak Sundarrajan and produced by Sudhan Sundaram and G Jayaram under the banner of Passion Studios. The film stars Vijay Sethupathi, Taapsee Pannu, Jagapat ...
''. He appeared in '' Mughizh'' in which his daughter makes her debut. Sethupathi is also starring in
Vetrimaaran Vetrimaaran is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer, who works in the Tamil film industry. As of 2021, he has won five National Film Awards, eight Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards, two Filmfare South Awards and the Amnesty Inter ...
's Tamil film '' Viduthalai''. As of October 2021 he is the host of
MasterChef India – Tamil ''MasterChef India – Tamil'' (or simply ''MasterChef Tamil'') is an Indian Tamil-language competitive cooking reality show based on ''MasterChef Australia'' and is part of ''MasterChef India''. Produced by Innovative Film Academy and Endemol ...
, which started on 7 August 2021 on Sun TV Network. In 2022, Vijay Sethupathi appeared in the drama film '' Kadaisi Vivasayi'' directed by
M. Manikandan M. Manikandan is an Indian director, writer and cinematographer who works in Tamil cinema. He began his career as an assistant cinematographer in Tamil films. He made his directorial debut with the short film ''Wind'' (2010) and got his breakth ...
. Following, the romantic comedy
Vignesh Shivan Vignesh Shivan, credited sometimes as Vignesh Shivn (born 18 September 1985) is an Indian film director, film producer, actor, singer and lyricist who works in Tamil cinema. Personal life Shivan and actress Nayanthara had been in a relationshi ...
's ''
Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal ''Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal'' () is an 2022 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language Romance film, romantic black comedy film written and directed by Vignesh Shivan. It stars Vijay Sethupathi, Nayanthara and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Samantha. The s ...
'' with
Nayanthara Diana Mariam Kurian, known professionally as Nayanthara, is an Indian actress and film producer who is known for her work in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. She was in the ''Forbes India'' "Celebrity 100" 2018 list, with her total annual ...
and
Samantha Samantha (or the alternatively Samanta) is primarily used as a feminine given name. It was recorded in England in 1633 in Newton Regis, Warwickshire. It was also recorded in the 18th century in New England, but its etymology is uncertain. Specu ...
. After '' Master'', Vijay Sethupathi again got a villain role in Lokesh Kanagaraj directorial '' Vikram'' starring
Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali l ...
in the lead role. Vijay Sethupathi played a drug dealer. ''Vikram'' broke several box office records and officially became one of the highest grossing films in Tamil Nadu. Vijay Sethupathi and his mentor Seenu Ramasamy have combined for the fourth time to deliver the family emotion packed '' Maamanithan''. Vijay Sethupathi acted in Malayalam movie ''
19(1)(a) ''19(1)(a)'' is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by debutant Indhu V. S. It stars Nithya Menen, Vijay Sethupathi, and Indrajith Sukumaran. The film is produced by Anto Joseph and Neeta Pinto. The film marks Vijay ...
'' starring with Nithya Menen and was released by streaming platform
Disney+ Hotstar The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
. In December, his action comedy ''
DSP DSP may refer to: Computing * Digital signal processing, the mathematical manipulation of an information signal * Digital signal processor, a microprocessor designed for digital signal processing * Yamaha DSP-1, a proprietary digital signal ...
'' was released to negative reviews. In September 2023, Vijay Sethupathi starred in '' Jawan'' starring
Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...
and
Nayanthara Diana Mariam Kurian, known professionally as Nayanthara, is an Indian actress and film producer who is known for her work in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. She was in the ''Forbes India'' "Celebrity 100" 2018 list, with her total annual ...
in the lead role. Sethupathi played as an arms dealer, which was significantly praised by critics and the audience.


Philanthropy

In 2014, Chennai Mayopathy Institute of Muscular Dystrophy and Research Center organized a rally on 3 August at Marina Beach to raise awareness on Muscular Dystrophy. Sethupathi has taken part in the rally along with actresses
Gayathrie Gayathrie Shankar (born 2 May 1993) is an Indian actress who appears in Tamil and Malayalam films. Her Tamil film debut was in 2012 with ''18 Vayasu'', and is best known for her role in ''Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom'' (2012). She had her M ...
and
Varalaxmi Sarathkumar Varalaxmi Sarathkumar (born 5 March 1985) is an Indian actress who appears in Tamil and Telugu films, in addition to Kannada and Malayalam films. She made her debut with the Tamil film ''Podaa Podi'' (2012). Early life and family Varalaxmi w ...
. Sethupathi met Chief minister of Tamil Nadu M.K Stalin on 15 June 2021 and donated ₹25 lakhs as part of the Corona relief fund.


Personal life

Sethupathi has three siblings, one elder brother, one younger brother and one younger sister. He returned from Dubai in 2003 to marry his girlfriend, Jessie, whom he had met and dated online. They have two children, a son Surya and a daughter Shreeja. He named his son Surya in the remembrance of his friend who died during his school days. Surya made his acting debut playing the younger version of Sethupathi in ''
Naanum Rowdy Dhaan ''Naanum Rowdy Dhaan'' () is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Vignesh Shivan, produced by actor Dhanush under his banner Wunderbar Films, and distributed by Lyca Productions. The film stars Vijay Sethupat ...
'' (2015). Surya appeared with his father again in ''
Sindhubaadh ''Sindhubaadh'' is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language romantic action thriller film written and directed by S. U. Arun Kumar and jointly produced by S. N. Rajarajan and Shan Sutharsan under their production houses Vansan Movies and K Productions. Th ...
'' (2019).


Public image

Sethupathi's performance in ''Aandavan Kattalai'' and ''Super Deluxe'' is regarded as one of the "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade" by ''
Film Companion Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...
.'' He was named the "Top Tamil Actor", by ''
Rediff.com Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City. , it had more than 300 e ...
'' in 2013, 2016 and 2017. In 2020, Vijay Sethupathi was set to portray the role of Sri Lankan cricketer 
Muttiah Muralitharan Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan ( si, මුත්තයියා මුරලිදරන්, ta, முத்தையா முரளிதரன், also spelt Muralidaran; born 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, former professional c ...
 in a biopic titled '' 800''. The controversy surrounding Vijay Sethupathi's role in a biopic about Muttiah Muralitharan stemmed from the cricketer's support for the Sri Lankan Government and his political statements. Muralitharan, of Tamil descent, played cricket during the Eelam War, leading to debates within the Tamil community. Supporters of the film argued for recognizing Muralitharan's cricketing achievements.


Filmography


Accolades


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sethupathi, Vijay Tamil male actors Indian male film actors Living people Male actors in Tamil cinema Male actors from Chennai People from Virudhunagar district 1978 births Best Supporting Actor National Film Award winners Filmfare Awards South winners Indian atheists Male actors in Telugu cinema