Vijay Sethupathi Recalls Being Body-Shamed, Feels “Conscious” Attending Events
Vijay Sethupathi will be next seen alongside Katrina Kaif in Sriram Raghavan’s ‘Merry Christmas’.
If one had to list out pan-Indian stars in current times, Vijay Sethupathi’s name would definitely pop up. From playing diverse roles in a plethora of Tamil and Telugu films to finding massive fandom in Hindi cinema audiences, after appearing in Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Jawan’ and Shahid Kapoor’s ‘Farzi’, South star Vijay Sethupathi has proved his mettle, time and again. He is now all set to lead Sriram Raghavan's upcoming directorial venture ‘Merry Christmas’ with Katrina Kaif. Ahead of the film’s release on January 12, 2024, Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif have been actively promoting ‘Merry Christmas’.
In a recent interaction with The Indian Express, Vijay Sethupathi shared some of the not-so-fun sides of being a successful star.
Hailed for breaking the set template of how a Hindi film star should look with his real and relatable appearance, Vijay Sethupathi confessed that the newfound love he’s receiving for the way he looks acts like an “energy drink” for him. But he also remembers the time he was body-shamed for it.
He also opened up about how he’s very “conscious” of what he’s wearing, because he has a habit of showing up in “chappals” at get-togethers and meetings.
Vijay Sethupathi said, “Main aisa hi tha, body shaming bohot kiya tha mujhe. Wahaan bhi kiya tha. It happened, but the good thing is that people accept you the way who you are. Today wherever I go, I am accepted, it is a blessing. Thanks to my audience that I am happy being myself. I didn’t expect this.”
He added, “I believe fans are fans and their love is so true. Receiving love from fans is like an energy drink. When people love you, it gives you hope that your work has reached people and they have understood and they really like your work. That’s what I understood from the fan clubs. That always gives me energy.”
The Indian actor further said, “When I first started coming to Mumbai for Mumbaikar and Gandhi Talks, very few people knew me. Now, a lot of people know me and they come to talk to me about the films and my roles, which makes me feel very happy. At the end of the day, we are doing films for the audience, being actors we want to be loved by the audience. Once we get it, it’s like ok apna raasta toh sahi tarike se chal raha hai.”
Vijay Sethupathi also spoke about the online chatter surrounding his simple fashion choices.
He said, “Sometimes I am conscious about my costumes because I believe in wearing what I am comfortable in. Sometimes people say I am showing off, sometimes they say I am too simple. Chappal pehnega toh simple matlab kya? But sometimes I am conscious about that also. If I go to functions, I see people dressed up really well, and I get really conscious. So mostly I try to avoid going for get-togethers and meetings generally, otherwise I am comfortable.”
Vijay Sethupathi also spoke about his Bollywood career and said, “I don’t have any plans. It’s only that whatever films I do should do business, then only producers will come. If you only want to make good stories, but no producers come then there is no point to it. So, I am very clear that whatever stories, films I do should be hits and reach the audience. What does a hit mean? It’s that most of the audience should watch the film. I am only particular about that, otherwise if I like the story I’ll do it.”
Vijay Sethupathi will be next seen alongside Katrina Kaif in ‘Merry Christmas’, directed by Sriram Raghavan. The movie, filmed simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil, will release in theatres on January 12.
