IFFI 2023: Being Vijay Sethupathi

At the premiere of the silent film, Gandhi Talks, a viewer unfamiliar with Tamil cinema turned to me when the cast of the film walked in to be felicitated before the screening. The stars present included Vijay Sethupathi, Aditi Rao Hydari, and AR Rahman himself. But the viewer next to me had eyes only for Vijay Sethupathi. “That’s him, isn’t it? Saythupathee,” he said, eyes full of admiration. It was clear then if it wasn’t earlier that the actor has, despite issues with English and Hindi, managed to capture the imagination of regions hardly exposed to Tamil cinema. AR Rahman was a big attraction, yes, but so was Vijay Sethupathi, out there in flesh and skin, promoting this experimental film that catered to audiences across languages, much like the actor himself. Soon, the stage was set for the first-ever silent film, Gandhi Talks, to be played at IFFI 23.

First things first. Gandhi Talks is not quite a silent film with Rahman’s score guiding us through the events of the film, much like organs and flutes and pianos once accompanied silent films. The film itself can be acknowledged and experienced for being an experiment. It’s a film without a single dialogue, and the only human voices we hear come in a song or two from AR Rahman—and frankly, it felt rather good to hear them. Rahman’s score is relentless, and it feels like he’s approached the project to express himself in all the ways he can. Jazz, operatic influences, orchestral grandness… and rather interestingly for a silent film, even human voices get used as an instrument. It’s all rather indulgent (even with Vijay Sethupathi’s gift of charisma), and at much more than two hours, this dark comedy—this interplay between a thief, a prospective thief, and one falsely accused of theft—gets rather testing.

More charisma from Vijay Sethupathi was on display on Day 3 of IFFI, Goa, as he brought his conversational A-game to the packed Kala Academy auditorium. The interviewer, actor-politician Khushboo, offered him topics rather than pointed questions, and Vijay Sethupathi took off to bring insights laced with metaphors and wisdom. “I try to understand the essence of the filmmaker. More than the what of the narration, it’s the why I try to understand,” he said. When asked about his performances, he got the crowd laughing by dryly saying, “I have no idea what method acting is.” He went on, “It’s a flow… Ram (96) just happened. He’s a beautiful man and I tried to let him flow through me.”

It stepped into some personal spaces too, as he spoke about his love for bikes. “Before I became an actor, I wanted to customise my bike and told my father it would cost Rs. 30,000 to do so, and he said no. Today, I have so many vintage bikes, and sometimes, I get on them and travel on roads I grew up on as a child. Somewhere, I try to please that child within me and give him those rewards he once sought. I think that’s where our real core lies. If you feel lost and have no idea who you are, try to go back in time and you’ll get your answers.”

While his fans shared their love for his villain characters in films like Master and Jawan, he shocked some by stating that he wouldn’t want to play the villain for a few years at least. “There are many pressures and restrictions. They try to stop the character from dominating the hero; some of the essence gets lost in editing as well. I also get stars calling me and asking me to play the villain. I think I will take a break and instead focus on playing the protagonist and character roles.”

Vijay Sethupathi, dressed to prioritise comfort over high fashion (“My clothes are quite expensive, by the way”), was a real presence, as always. No airs, no implied superiority, and most importantly, no false modesty either. “I don’t want you to think I’m being humble. It’s not true. I’m just trying to be real to myself.” And that’s why when a fan shared that he had come all the way from Kerala on behalf of his eight-year-old daughter to meet him, Vijay Sethupathi ended the session by offering to talk to her in a video call. He came through yet again not so much as an actor, but more as an individual in search of real feelings and real emotions.