I was once told I’d be a big star, since I began with Kannada films... it actually happened: Vijay Sethupathi

Tamil star Vijay Sethupathi was in namma Bengaluru on Monday to speak about a reality show (the Tamil version) that he will host and is being shot here. The actor was his trademark cool, candid and casual self when he addressed the media about his connect with the city, the roles he does and more.
Life, he says, has come full circle for him in many ways. “Back in 1998, I had visited Bengaluru with some friends and we hung out at Cubbon Park, where we saw a lot of couples.We, of course, were jealous, as we did not have girlfriends then. Cut to now, where I am not only back in the city, but have also grown in stature to be able to have an aerial view of Cubbon Park from the hotel bedroom that I am staying at. It feels fantastic," he shares.
But that was not Vijay’s only tryst with the city or Kannada films, for that matter. “In 2008, I was here on an attempt to get into Kannada films. I had shot for a film, which unfortunately remained incomplete eventually, but in the three months that I was on the set, I used to rehearse my Kannada lines over and over again to get it right, as the language is phonetically different from Tamil in many ways; we do not have a lot of the alphabets that Kannada has. When I was returning to Chennai, one of the managers of the film team told me that my career would pick up now, as it has for other big stars who began with Kannada films. I told him that while I do not believe that, his words were coming from a place of love and respect and that mattered more. I told him that I believe in that and would make it happen. It took time, but it did happen, eventually," he recalls.
The actor, who, of late, has been working outside of Tamil films also, explains this work ethic. "Art does not speak any language. The only language it speaks, if at all, is between human beings, irrespective of where they are from. In that sense, there are no barriers to art. Take a look at our history; the British ruled us for many years, but we still watch their movies," he says. What about Kannada films then? "Two years ago, I had an offer from Kannada. It involved a big hero. Unfortunately, I could not take it up, as I could not possibly tell the hero to wait for my dates to be available," he quips.
Considering Vijay’s body of work, one cannot help but wonder about his preparation for each of his diverse roles. "When I prepare for a character, it is usually mentally. If someone were to ask me who is Vijay Sethupathi, it is not my body, but my mind. If you erase my memory, I could be anyone else. The character stays in the mind and not in the body. There is no separate physique for a doctor, journalist or an actor," he explains, adding that he enjoys being an actor who gets to do whatever he can. "I was roaming the streets of Chennai for 32 years. No one respected or trusted me. After I became an actor, I am getting all of that and more. I am enjoying that," he admits candidly. As for his choice of doing negative roles, he says, "I love doing negative roles because they are interesting. In real life, I am not a good fellow (laughs)."