Vijay Sethupathi has recalled how director Balaji Tharaneetharan considered other prominent actors for ‘Seethakathi’, despite already having Sethupathi on board. The actor turned the memory into a joke, referring to the filmmaker’s interest in Amitabh Bachchan, Mohanlal, and Kamal Haasan. He shared the anecdote at an event for ‘Baththa’, Balaji Tharaneetharan’s latest directorial venture.Released in theatres on October 1, ‘Baththa’ features Vijay Sethupathi alongside Lijomol Jose. During the event, the actor also discussed his decision to make ‘Seethakathi’ his 25th film and explained why its subject appealed to him.

Vijay Sethupathi jokes about Balaji Tharaneetharan’s casting choices

Vijay Sethupathi played the lead role in Balaji Tharaneetharan’s 2018 film ‘Seethakathi’. Recalling their conversations during the project, the actor said the director had repeatedly imagined other stars in the role.As quoted by NDTV, Vijay said, “When we were doing Seethakathi, he said, ‘It would be nice if Kamal sir did this, it would be nice if Amitabh Bachchan sir did this, it would be nice if Mohanlal sir did this.’ I thought, ‘Damn, I’m right here next to him.’”The actor followed the anecdote with a humorous comparison involving a street dog and a German Shepherd. He used it to describe how people can favour familiar or celebrated names over someone already close to them.“The street dog in our neighbourhood roams around happily and looks cute. Even then, people only like German Shepherds. What to do? It was like that… Hey, someone might misunderstand this. It’s nothing like that! What I meant to say was that I was close to him, like a local.”

Why Vijay Sethupathi Wanted ‘Seethakathi’ as His 25th Film

The actor also spoke about choosing between ‘96’ and ‘Seethakathi’ when deciding which film would mark his 25th project. Both films came his way around the same time, creating a choice about the milestone.”At that time, both 96 and Seethakathi came up. There was a question of which movie to announce as my 25th film,” he said. Vijay Sethupathi said he liked ‘96’ and expected it to perform well. However, he wanted ‘Seethakathi’ to mark the occasion because of its approach to art and society. “I really liked 96, without a doubt. I knew that the film would definitely do well. I didn’t expect such massive success, but I knew the movie would do well. However, I wanted Seethakathi to be my 25th film. Because this art… I don’t even know how to put it. During the time we live, while being part of the crowd, we can also look at society and the changes happening around us from above, like a bird.”

Actor calls ‘Seethakathi’ role a blessing

Explaining his connection with the film, Vijay Sethupathi spoke about art’s ability to influence society. He also praised the writing behind the character he was offered. “I think art is the reason behind many changes. There is a character who represents that art. Someone had understood that beautifully and written it. So, for me, when I got that character, I thought of it as a huge blessing. Things like this…”

‘Baththa’ Features Lijomol Jose

Vijay Sethupathi’s latest release, ‘Baththa’, also stars Lijomol Jose in a key role. The Tamil film arrived in cinemas on October 1 and has recorded a rise in collections during its second weekend.According to Sacnilk, ‘Baththa’ earned Rs 2.99 cr net in India on Saturday, October 10. The film recorded the collection across 1,731 shows, registering an 81.2% increase over Friday’s Rs 1.65 cr. With Saturday’s earnings, ‘Baththa’ reached an India net collection of Rs 20.10 cr. Its domestic gross collection stood at Rs 23.25 cr.