Caste has divided us. I wish it should be completely abolished from our society.
Vijay Sethupathi
I never take credit for my movie's success. I am the face of the movie, but there are numerous unsung heroes behind the scene. From the director, cameraman and editor to the light boy, everyone knows how difficult it is to satisfy the audience.
We have to eradicate caste.
Once, when I was driving my bike with my helmet on, two girls recognized me by just looking at my eyes.
'Vikram Vedha' is special because it has taken me to the next level in my career.
I believe life is an 'experience ball.' You throw it at someone, it picks up their response... it grows. You play with that ball, learning what it teaches you.
There's no challenge involved in any kind of role. I don't have to prove or impress anybody.
I'm self-taught. Even today, on the sets, I probe the lightmen, the stunt artistes... they are from a period I've not seen; I can visualise it through them.
One of my biggest drawbacks is my inability to maintain my physique. I put on weight for 'Soodhu Kavvum' and never managed to shed it. Luckily, that look suited a few films, including 'Orange Mittai.'
As an actor, you need to use everything at your disposal.
Planning bores me. I like to go with the flow. Being whimsical is nice, occasionally. It keeps things fresh; there's no expectation.
I worked as an accountant in an auditor's office, at a textile showroom, a telephone booth, and a fast-food joint while studying. My dad found it odd, but he never interfered in any of my decisions.
During script narrations, if I feel the screenplay mood jumping abruptly, I tell the director, and they work on it.
I am always for and with the Tamil people.
I don't have a role model.
I prepare my style of biriyani by sauting sliced onion, tomato, green chilli, ginger garlic and add required water and rice. If I end up adding a tad too much of salt, I used to add curd to balance it.
I was active on Facebook for a while, responding to comments and thanking fans for their appreciation. But I found that the Facebook feed was numbing my emotions. I'd see an extraordinarily tragic news item, and even before I could react to it, see a hilarious meme right below it. This was confusing me.
When an actor decides to play a character, he must exude some sort of charisma and look relatable, even if he is playing the role of a really unattractive person.
I was always under the impression that acting is an innate gift. One of the first things I heard them say at Koothu-P-Pattarai was that actors should realise the art of acting through their training.
I surrender to my directors. I do that because I respect them immensely. In fact, a director's talent scares me. I admit that they're more intelligent than me, and I submit to that, as an assistant director does. Even when I have suggestions to make, I don't state them strongly.
If a film is suitable for family viewing, it should remain so, and if a film has some adult content, it should remain so, and these genres should never be mixed and spoil the vision of the story teller.
I don't overact, so people think that I naturally act well. I underplay my roles, and that has worked for me.
I don't take any project lightly. Every project is important for me. In fact, every scene in every film is important.
I don't choose my directors, but I choose my scripts wisely.
The food we eat is our identity. The youth of the nation must save our food culture and traditions. If not, it will affect future generations.
Most of my friends are assistant directors.
There is no hard and fast rule that I only work with debutants. I give prime importance to script, and when that works out, everything else falls in place automatically. In fact, most debutants express interest to work with me.
My father always used to ask me what my aim in life is. I used to tell him I don't have any.
I'm excited and nervous about every film; once I understand the medium fully, I'll relax.
In feature films, I used to be the hero's friend, a regular character. In short films, I played the hero; I got roles where I could work on my character and performance. They made me aware of myself as an actor.
If you start worrying about risks, you might as well stay inside the womb.
I am not bothered about my career graph, as I am someone who doesn't believe in planning things.
I had no interest in cinema until I was 24 years old. My friends had posters of their favourite stars in their houses, but I was far from a film buff - very detached from films.
I came to cinema for money. I had to settle a loan of Rs 10 lakh. I had no other go, so I thought I'd try my luck in films. I was earning Rs 25,000 at that time. It was not even enough for my family.
I used to be very photogenic. My brother took a lot of pictures of me in Dubai. I thought maybe I could be a movie star. There was a hurdle, though - I didn't know anything about films.
Why are numbers so important? I take up a film I like, give it my best, and move on.
Your present is shaped by your yesterday, but you don't have to advertise it.
If you go to a theme park, there will be so many rides. You will get an exciting experience in each of them. Like that, every film is an experience that entertains you. Some films will touch your heart. Some will touch you emotionally. There is nothing more than that.
If I spend 10 days at home, I'll be dying to get back to the set. I love the thrill of a good dialogue, the buzz of shooting.
The day I became a hero, my dream was realised. Everything else is a bonus.
I am an actor who doesn't believe in carrying an 'image' in the industry. I don't want to get trapped in an image.
To be honest, many of my well-wishers want me to play the solo lead in films. Maybe, it's time to think about it. In fact, I have cut down on signing up multi-starrer films.
As an artist, all I want is to be a part of good films.
I have both joyful and heartbreaking moments in life, even now. Stardom doesn't give us everything.
We never take people seriously when they are alive, but once they are gone, we always think that we should have treated them better.
I can not stay at the place when a stranger starts talking to me. I will try to cut the speech as quick as possible and move away. I had to break this inhibition before becoming an actor.
I was not a fussy kid and had a good appetite. Only, I was not happy to eat keerai and vegetables.
When my parents force-fed me healthy food, they were confident they were giving me the best. But now, when I feed my children, I am not sure if what I am giving them is safe. Politics and pesticides are destroying our food culture.
If I am ever forced to choose between my identity as a Tamilian and an award from the central government, I will choose the former.
Director Jai Krishna is an optimist who has a never-say-die attitude. He has impressed me thoroughly with his faith in the industry. Not many are aware of the fact that this man had to wait for almost 30 years in this industry to direct 'Vanmam,' his first film.
