Vijay Sethupathi, who is unarguably one of the most versatile actors in the country today, has just crossed a major milestone in his career with the release of his 50th film, Maharaja. The film, which is directed by Nithilan Swaminathan, is on its way to become the first Rs 100 crore-grossing Tamil film for Vijay, who plays a barber in it.

Over the last 14 years, the 46-year-old unassuming actor — whose silences speak on screen and who lets his work do all the talking otherwise — has experimented with all kinds of roles, playing everything from hero to villain. His talent for straight-faced comedy is well known and his gender-bending turn as a trans-woman in the 2019 film Super Deluxe earned him a National Award. Sethupathi’s exemplary work on screen has earned him the title of ‘Makkal Selvan’, which translates to ‘Treasure of the People’.

Sethupathi has extended his filmography beyond Tamil cinema, earning praise globally for the Hindi films Jawan and Merry Christmas and for the web series Farzi.

In an exclusive chat with t2oS, Sethupathi opened up on the milestone moment in his career, the speed at which he greenlights his projects and how he feels as a father as he gears up to launch his 19-year-old son soon.

Fourteen years and 50 films later, how does it feel to look back at your career today where you are one of the biggest actors of the country?

When I look back at my career, I don’t just see myself and my efforts. I am what I am today because of all those memorable filmmakers I worked with over the years. Had they not envisioned me in the roles that they wrote, I don’t think my career would have come this far. I just feel grateful for all those opportunities that came my way and still are coming, despite quite a few misses in the last few years.

Maharaja, which is your 50th film, has turned out to be a bona fide blockbuster. Did you at any point feel the film would be too dark for the liking of the masses?

I don’t think I ever thought it was going to be dark. I do get what you are trying to say. We did definitely discuss that it would be violent, but we also knew that there would be a strong emotion backing it. Unlike regular hero-driven commercial films, Maharaja doesn’t feature mindless violence. This is a story of a father proving his love for his daughter by going the distance to get justice.

We strongly felt the emotion the father goes through in the film is what the audiences will also go through and feel.

Maharaja wasn’t deliberately planned as your 50th film but how does it feel to have achieved this milestone in your career?

It did feel special that Maharaja was going to be my 50th release. Honestly, the feeling didn’t last long as I wanted to give audiences a good film to remember. My last few films as a hero didn’t work well and the results did affect me on a personal level. I wanted to make sure I didn’t take that pressure in signing any film that came my way. When Nithilan (Swaminathan, director) pitched the story of Maharaja, it felt like a very honest film. Personally, I don’t like to dwell too much on milestones as I feel they would hold me back from experimenting.

Do you feel the success of Maharaja has given you the strength and freedom to experiment more?

The success is definitely heartening for a lot of reasons. One of the main reasons is that my last few releases didn’t do well at all. In fact, when large banners were put up for Maharaja during release, I even heard people discussing what’s the point of these banners when people don’t show up to watch his films. I am glad Maharaja answered all those questions. I will always continue to pick roles that challenge and push me out of my comfort zone. I don’t see any excitement in picking roles that aren’t pushing me.

Your 25th film released in 2018 and you finished working in 25 more in the next six years. What is the secret behind the speed at which you are working when most of your contemporaries are struggling to do even two films a year?

Honestly, I didn’t plan these releases and I just focused on working as hard as possible. Some of these films are also the ones where I just played strong characters and I would technically finish my shooting in a few weeks and head to my next film. I didn’t play a hero in every single one of them. This is one of the main reasons why I could complete a project in a quick time and get on to the next film.

What still excites you about acting and taking up different characters?

It is the joy of getting to play different characters and working with filmmakers with unique visions. One of the main reasons I started taking up opportunities outside the Tamil industry is to get to work with exciting filmmakers and play the kind of roles I might not get anywhere else. In Viduthalai 1 and 2, I play the same character but we shot the second part months after the release of the first, and it still felt refreshing to play the same character because it stayed on with me.

Are you still sticking to your recent statement about not taking up antagonist roles anymore?

Yes, absolutely. I think I am done with antagonist roles as I feel these characters have limitations and there is not much I could contribute as an actor. While I will continue to take up interesting projects in other languages, I am done with playing the baddie.

Your son Surya is all set for his acting debut. You were at the teaser launch of his film Phoenix recently. What was your advice to him?

More than any advice, I warned him about the journey... all the struggles and pressure he could face and asked him if he still wanted to be an actor. When he told me he was still interested, I told him I would be there to always support. It wasn’t a planned move as he is just 19. Director Anl Arasu met me on a flight from Bombay to Chennai one day and shared a story idea. I thought he was pitching it for me with the prospect of working together. Once he was done with the narration, he told me he wanted to cast my son. I wasn’t sure and I told him to talk to Surya and see if he’s interested.