IFFI

I didn’t get to enjoy Goa: Vijay Sethupathi

Herald Team

Indian actor Vijay Sethupathi was in Goa to attend the 54th International Film Festival of India. The crowd that thronged to see the National Film awardee shows that the actor is still riding on the wave of the success of the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Jawan,’ where he played the role of the antagonist, Kaalie Gaikwad.

Vijay was in Goa for the gala premiere of his new film, ‘Gandhi Talks,’ directed by Kishor Pandurang Belekar and starring Vijay in the lead with Aditi Rao Hydari, Mahesh Manjrekar, Arvind Swamy and Siddharth Jadhav. He also walked the red carpet along with Aditi Rao Hydari, the director Kishor Pandurang Belekar, producer Shariq Patel and AR Rahman, the music director of the film.

Interestingly, ‘Gandhi Talks’ is the first silent movie to be screened at IFFI. As the film deals with the dilemma whether to follow the ideal of the Father of the Nation or the greed to make money, the film tries to recreate the magic of the silent films era in today’s world. ‘Gandhi Talks’ is a black comedy, about the monetary needs of a character and how it impacts the others. A young, unemployed graduate Mahadev’s struggle to land a job through any means possible and crosses paths with a businessman and petty thief. The director, Kishor has been working on the script of the film for almost 20 years and it is without any dialogues, which makes it interesting for the viewers and motivates the actors to highlight their roles only through their actions and expressions.

Vijay has a huge fan following from the Tamil, Telugu and now Hindi films, which was all the more visible at the Kala Academy, where the actor was in conversation with actress Kushboo Sundar for a Masterclass on ‘Living the Character.’ Through the session, he discusses about his different characters and how he doesn’t like to be fit in a box but rather remove the image of typecasting. From the portrayal of a transgender character in the film ‘Super Deluxe’, for which he won the National Award, to the journey from lead roles to villain roles. The 900-seater auditorium was packed with many participants even standing at the back, just to get a glimpse of the actor as he talks about his acting journey.

Vijay is gearing up for his next release, 'Merry Christmas', opposite Katrina Kaif which is scheduled to be released in January 12, 2024. How does he feel coming to Goa? “I didn’t get to enjoy Goa. I have been coming from the hotel to the venue. Now, I will be flying out for my other work commitments. I had a great experience at IFFI but I wish I could enjoy Goa much more,” says Vijay, as he was leaving the venue for his flight.

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