Method acting or ‘getting under the skin of a character’ is not something you see a lot in Indian cinema. More often than not, all our heroes, especially stars, are pretty much themselves in all their films. Vijay and Leo are identical to Leo and Parthiban. Rajinikanth in Jailer is not all that different from Petta. At best, we get to see different looks of the same person. Rajinikanth was honest when he said at the Ponniyin Selvan 1 audio launch that he just has a set of templates. That’s pretty much the ‘method’ of all the actors. Interestingly, being himself in all of his films is what makes Vijay Sethupathi original. It is an irony that here’s an actor who remains himself in all of his films, and we love him for it.
For some reason, Sethupathi doesn’t have to do much. Take the scene in Sriram Raghavan’s Merry Christmas where he is in the neighbourhood gift shop. The owner recognises and asks him if he is Albert. Sethupathi doesn’t do much other than a gentle nod. She then goes, “You have returned from Dubai?” Nod. “How is Dubai?” He finally opens up, “Too many rules.” He has actually come from jail. In another instance, he is bewildered by the actions of the other lead character, and all he does is look at her perplexed in the lift. For a Tamil audience, they have seen Sethupathi cut that look so many times, but it is hard to get enough of it. It is lovely to watch Vijay Sethupathi doing Vijay Sethupathi things.
Vijay Sethupathi is most often detached from the film that he is in, and that’s exactly the kind of person he is in real life. A glance through his interviews, especially the ones he did ahead of Merry Christmas release, would give an idea about how the actor is separate from his image as a star. At times, Sethupathi indulges in philosophical meanderings, and at times, he claims himself to be a pedestrian. But he always comes across as a person who couldn’t care less, and that’s a trait all his characters share. In Mani Ratnam’s Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, Sethupathi seems to be a corrupt and alcoholic police officer. He doesn’t blink an eye while confessing to killing a minor. In fact, he makes it outrageously funny. You find the same sarcasm in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Master, where he uses juvenile prisoners to peddle drugs. And Sethupathi is sarcastic in real life. Almost all of the traits of his characters in his films come across as extensions of his persona. “Are you okay, baby?” is not just something Pandi says in Naanum Rowdy Thaan. It is easy to imagine him using it in real life while romancing.
In essence, be it a transgender person Shilpa in Super Deluxe, or the quintessential masculine family man Sethupathi in Sethupathi, the actor approaches the role as ‘What would Vijay Sethupathi do?’ He doesn’t transform himself into Shilpa and bring her out of thin air. Rather, Shilpa is a transgender version of Sethupathi. Albert in Merry Christmas is Sethupathi’s version of someone who has returned from jail. Jawan’s Kalee Gaikwad is Sethupathi trying to be a corporate villain.
Critics of Vijay Sethupathi identified this phenomenon during his initial success, and it was predicted he would lose his momentum as he would become redundant. Sethupathi is stronger than before even making rapid strides in Bollywood. While such redundancies would have worked against other actors, the reason we can’t get enough of Vijay Sethupathi, despite him being the same person in all his films, is that he is an interesting person, even in real life.
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