Vijay Sethupathi recently announced a hiatus from antagonist roles. He cited the emotional strain associated with such characters as the primary reason for this decision. He was last seen in Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan where he played the villain Kalee.
During an interaction at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Sethupathi expressed his experiences playing antagonistic roles, highlighting the challenges he faced. He mentioned instances where his scenes were often edited out, and at times, lead actors would personally reach out to persuade him to take up negative roles in their films.
Explaining his decision, Sethupathi stated, “They try to put an emotional pressure on me, which I don’t want to face. I am not feeling bad, but still, there are restrictions when I play a villain. They are controlling me so much, not to take over the protagonist and some things go in the editing also.”
Deciding to step away from such roles for a while, Sethupathi admitted the difficulties encountered in declining villainous roles. Despite saying no, he often finds himself urged to at least consider the scripts, complicating matters further.
His upcoming venture, Merry Christmas, alongside Katrina Kaif and directed by Sriram Raghavan, faced a release date change from December 15th to January 12th. This move aimed to avoid a clash with other significant releases like Dunki and Salaar-Part One scheduled for later dates in December.