I don't overact, so people think that I naturally act well. I underplay my roles, and that has worked for me.
— Vijay Sethupathi
During script narrations, if I feel the screenplay mood jumping abruptly, I tell the director, and they work on it.
I am always for and with the Tamil people.
When my parents force-fed me healthy food, they were confident they were giving me the best. But now, when I feed my children, I am not sure if what I am giving them is safe. Politics and pesticides are destroying our food culture.
I can not stay at the place when a stranger starts talking to me. I will try to cut the speech as quick as possible and move away. I had to break this inhibition before becoming an actor.
I have both joyful and heartbreaking moments in life, even now. Stardom doesn't give us everything.
I am an actor who doesn't believe in carrying an 'image' in the industry. I don't want to get trapped in an image.
Planning bores me. I like to go with the flow. Being whimsical is nice, occasionally. It keeps things fresh; there's no expectation.
I was active on Facebook for a while, responding to comments and thanking fans for their appreciation. But I found that the Facebook feed was numbing my emotions. I'd see an extraordinarily tragic news item, and even before I could react to it, see a hilarious meme right below it. This was confusing me.
I'm self-taught. Even today, on the sets, I probe the lightmen, the stunt artistes... they are from a period I've not seen; I can visualise it through them.
Why are numbers so important? I take up a film I like, give it my best, and move on.
I came to cinema for money. I had to settle a loan of Rs 10 lakh. I had no other go, so I thought I'd try my luck in films. I was earning Rs 25,000 at that time. It was not even enough for my family.
The energy of first-time directors is tremendous. They work beyond the limits for a hit in this competitive industry.
Director Jai Krishna is an optimist who has a never-say-die attitude. He has impressed me thoroughly with his faith in the industry. Not many are aware of the fact that this man had to wait for almost 30 years in this industry to direct 'Vanmam,' his first film.
If I am ever forced to choose between my identity as a Tamilian and an award from the central government, I will choose the former.
I prepare my style of biriyani by sauting sliced onion, tomato, green chilli, ginger garlic and add required water and rice. If I end up adding a tad too much of salt, I used to add curd to balance it.
We never take people seriously when they are alive, but once they are gone, we always think that we should have treated them better.
As an artist, all I want is to be a part of good films.
The day I became a hero, my dream was realised. Everything else is a bonus.
One of my biggest drawbacks is my inability to maintain my physique. I put on weight for 'Soodhu Kavvum' and never managed to shed it. Luckily, that look suited a few films, including 'Orange Mittai.'
I surrender to my directors. I do that because I respect them immensely. In fact, a director's talent scares me. I admit that they're more intelligent than me, and I submit to that, as an assistant director does. Even when I have suggestions to make, I don't state them strongly.
Your present is shaped by your yesterday, but you don't have to advertise it.
I was always under the impression that acting is an innate gift. One of the first things I heard them say at Koothu-P-Pattarai was that actors should realise the art of acting through their training.
I had no interest in cinema until I was 24 years old. My friends had posters of their favourite stars in their houses, but I was far from a film buff - very detached from films.
All my films have turned out well only because of the director's brilliance, not because of me.
I don't take any project lightly. Every project is important for me. In fact, every scene in every film is important.
The food we eat is our identity. The youth of the nation must save our food culture and traditions. If not, it will affect future generations.
I was not a fussy kid and had a good appetite. Only, I was not happy to eat keerai and vegetables.
If a film is suitable for family viewing, it should remain so, and if a film has some adult content, it should remain so, and these genres should never be mixed and spoil the vision of the story teller.
To be honest, many of my well-wishers want me to play the solo lead in films. Maybe, it's time to think about it. In fact, I have cut down on signing up multi-starrer films.
If I spend 10 days at home, I'll be dying to get back to the set. I love the thrill of a good dialogue, the buzz of shooting.
If you go to a theme park, there will be so many rides. You will get an exciting experience in each of them. Like that, every film is an experience that entertains you. Some films will touch your heart. Some will touch you emotionally. There is nothing more than that.
When an actor decides to play a character, he must exude some sort of charisma and look relatable, even if he is playing the role of a really unattractive person.
I believe life is an 'experience ball.' You throw it at someone, it picks up their response... it grows. You play with that ball, learning what it teaches you.
I used to be very photogenic. My brother took a lot of pictures of me in Dubai. I thought maybe I could be a movie star. There was a hurdle, though - I didn't know anything about films.
