Vijay Sethupathi on 'Gandhi Talks' And Versatile Script Choices: 'To Make It Look Easy, I Work Very Hard '
The star shares how he picks his scripts, and what excites him about being the ‘bad guy’.
“Being bad is so good,” says actor Vijay Sethupathi in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, sitting with his Gandhi Talks co-stars.
Known for his striking performances as the antagonist in films like Vikram Vedha (2017), Petta (2019), Master (2021), and more, the actor has never shied away from the dark side of human nature.
“I play villains who excite me, because I enjoy villain roles, there is a lot of freedom in them,” he explains, talking about the thrill of playing the ‘bad guy’. Despite this, he says that he is making an effort to move away from the ‘villain’ typecast. “They [filmmakers] are bringing me regular, typical villain roles, which I don’t want to do,” he explains. Sethupathi does not care for two-dimensional villains written purely to support the hero’s storyline, he explains. Rather, he seeks out layered, complex characters who push the plot forward.
Sethupathi is known for his diverse array of characters. In ‘96 (2018), he played a romantic hero, in Master (2021) and Jawan (2023) he played a formidable villain, and in Super Deluxe (2019) he portrayed a transgender woman, a role that earned him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. The sheer scope of his filmography has led to him being dubbed as a ‘versatile’ actor, a tag that he has mixed feelings about.
“I don’t have the intention of portraying myself as versatile,” he says, in response. “I listen to the script, and if I like it, I do it… Extra tags will [weigh me down] and I don’t want that,” he adds. Sethupathi handpicks his roles with care, purely for the love of the story. It is his deep understanding of his characters and devotion to his craft that allow him to portray them with such ease. “It may look [effortless], but I work too hard for each and every character. To make it look easy, I work very hard,” he says.
In his upcoming silent film, Gandhi Talks, Sethupathi plays Mahadev, a young, unemployed graduate at odds with his values. This character is unlike any he has portrayed in the past and reflects his desire to push himself further with each role. “The beauty of our work is the learning, the experience,” he emphasises, and it is clear that he embodies those values in every project.
Starring Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddarth Jadhav alongside Vijay Sethupathi, Gandhi Talks is set to release on January 30, 2026.
Watch the full conversation dropping soon on The Hollywood Reporter India's YouTube channel.