Vijay Sethupathi

Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi was not born with silver spoon. Neither did he have a family background that had deep roots in cinema field. He was rejected even for the role of a junior artist. But it was his hard work and continuous struggle, that made him a star that he is today.

He was born in Rajapalayam but moved to Chennai where he had studied and even had his graduation from a reputed college in Chennai. He did all kinds of odd jobs that came to him (salesperson, cashier, telephone booth operator or account assistant) to lead his life normally.

Later on, he moved to Dubai as he had to take care of three siblings. During his stay in Dubai, he fell in love with Jessie, whom he married later. He returned to Chennai again and had taken up interior decoration business when he came across Balu Mahendra. Balu Mahendra had felt this lad could evolve as an actor as he had an attractive face.

The real fortune smiled upon him when he was offered to play Dhanush’s friend in’ Pudhupettai’ (2006). Following which he lost a bi-lingual film (called Akhaada) which did not get released till date. After getting supporting roles in ‘Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu’ (2009) and ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ (2010), he got to play a lead role in Ramasamy's drama film ‘Thenmerku Paruvakaatru’ (2011), in which he portrayed a shepherd.

The film went to fetch three national awards. It was in 2012 that witnessed three releases such as ‘Sundarapandian’, ‘Pizza’ and ‘Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom’ respectively, which resulted in achieving his foothold in the industry. In 2014, his films ‘Rummy’ and ‘Pannaiyarum Padminiyum’ were released, which received critical acclaim and got rave reviews.

The greatest asset of this actor is that he used to take risks and do a film like ‘Pizza’ or even ‘Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai’. Now he is married to Jessie; he has two children, Surya Sethupathi and Sreeja Vijay Sethupathi.

In the year 2014, he launched his production house named ‘’Vijaya Sethupathi Productions’’ which released ‘’Orange Mittai, which was co-written, produced and acted by Vijay Sethupathi and hit screens on July 31, 2015. 

In 2015, Vijay played the lead role with “Nayanthara” in Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, directed by Vignesh Shivan. In 2016, he played in a half dozen movies, including Sethupathi, Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum, Iraivi with SJ Surya and Bobby Simha, Dharma Durai with Tamannaah Bhatia, Aandavan Kattalai with Ritika Singh, and “Rekka” with Lakshmi Menon. In 2017, he had two blockbuster hits, including Kavan and Vikram Vedha with “R Madhavan.” The same year, he was seen in Puriyadha Pudhir and Karuppan. He was also seen in a cameo role in Kathanayagan with Vishnu Vishal. In 2018, he did seven films, among which “96” with Trisha Krishnan was a blockbuster hit. Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren, Junga, Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, and Seethakaathi released in the same year. He was seen in cameo roles in Traffic Ramasamy and Imaikkaa Nodigal. He won the Best Actor Award at Filmfare for his performance in 96. In 2019, he played the role of a transgender person in Super Deluxe, which fetched him the National Award for Best Supporting Actor. The same year, he shared the screen space with Superstar “Rajinikanth” in “Petta.” 2019 was a special year for Vijay, as he debuted in Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam films. “Akhaada,” the Kannada film, had a delayed release in 2019, despite being shot in early 2010s. The Malayalam film Maarconi Mathaai with “Jayaram” and Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy with Chiranjeevi made him popular throughout the South.

In 2020, he made cameo roles in Ka Pae Ranasingam and Oh My Kadavule. In 2021, he was seen with Vijay in “Master.” The Telugu film “Uppena” with Krithi Shetty and Panja Vaisshanv Tej is one of his super hits of the year. Laabam, Kutty Story, Tughlaq Darbar, Annabelle Sethupathi, and Mugizh are some of his 2021 releases. The same year, he was seen in Navarasa, an anthology web series. He also hosted MasterChef India – Tamil Season 1. In 2022, he shared the screen space with Kamal Haasan in Vikram. Kadaisi Vivasayi, Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal, Maamanithan, 19(1)(a), and DSP released in 2022.

In 2023, he debuted in Bollywood with the film “Mumbaikar.” The same year, he shared the screen space with Shah Rukh Khan in “Jawan.” Besides mouthing Hindi dialogues, Vijay reshot all his portions in Tamil for the Tamil audience. He also shared the screen with Shahid Kapoor in the web series, “Farzi.” The same year, he was seen in the Telugu film Michael, Viduthalai Part 1, Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir, and Gandhi Talks. Gandhi Talks is a silent film. In 2024, he was seen in “Maharaja” with “Abhirami” and Anurag Kashyap, Merry Christmas, the Tamil-Hindi bilingual film with Katrina Kaif, and Viduthalai Part 2 with Manju Warrier. The same year, he hosted “Bigg Boss Tamil Season 8.”

In 2025, Vijay Sethupathi was seen in “Ace” with Rukmini Vasanth, Thalaivan Thalaivii with Nithya Menen, and “Train” directed by “Mysskin.”