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.