Vijay Sethupathi

Vijay Sethupathi (born Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi Kalimuthu, 16 January 1978) is an Indian actor and film producer who works mainly in Tamil cinema, with occasional Telugu and Hindi films. Having started out as a background actor, he rose to fame in 2012 and is now one of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinema. His honours include a National Film Award, two Filmfare Awards South and two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. Telugu audiences saw him in the ensemble of Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy (2019).

Early life

Sethupathi grew up in Rajapalayam and moved to Chennai in the sixth class, living in Ennore in the north of the city. By his own description he was a below-average student with little interest in sports. At 16 he auditioned for Nammavar (1994) but was turned down because of his height. He worked a series of odd jobs, earned a commerce degree from Dhanraj Baid Jain College, and later moved to Dubai as an accountant because the pay was far better. There he met Jessie, whom he married in 2003.

Finding his way into films

Unhappy in his job, he returned to India in 2003. After spotting a poster for the Chennai theatre group Koothu-P-Pattarai, he joined it as an accountant and actor, and the director Balu Mahendra encouraged him by remarking on his photogenic face. He began as a background actor, often playing the hero’s friend, and also worked in television and in short films, including several with Karthik Subbaraj.

Small roles followed in Selvaraghavan’s Pudhupettai (2006) and in Suseenthiran’s first two films, whom he later credited with helping him realise his dreams. His first lead role came in Seenu Ramasamy’s Thenmerku Paruvakaatru (2010), in which he played a shepherd; the film won three National Film Awards, including Best Tamil Feature Film.

Breakthrough

2012 was the turning point: all three of his releases were critical and commercial successes. After a negative role in Sundarapandian, he led Karthik Subbaraj’s thriller Pizza, as a delivery boy trapped in a nightmarish mansion, and Balaji Tharaneetharan’s comedy Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom, as a man who loses his short-term memory just before his wedding. Critics praised both performances, and Pizza brought his first Filmfare nomination for Best Actor – Tamil.

Established star

A long run of successful films followed, including Soodhu Kavvum (2013), Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum (2016), Vikram Vedha (2017), ’96 (2018), Petta (2019), Master (2021), Vikram (2022), the two parts of Viduthalai (2023 and 2024), Jawan (2023), Maharaja (2024) and Thalaivan Thalaivii (2025). His role as a trans woman in Super Deluxe (2019) won him the National Film Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Telugu cinema

He was part of the large ensemble cast of Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, the 2019 historical epic directed by Surender Reddy and starring Chiranjeevi as the title character.

Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.