Vijay Sethupathi

I have always felt that doing too much of homework makes the performance look plastic. I don't even watch the monitor after I finish my scene because I can't reprise it. I just go with the flow.

I don't differentiate a film as off-beat or commercial, because I just don't understand the difference. 'Naanum Rowdy Thaan,' for example, wasn't written for me. It came to me by chance after two or three other heroes turned it down. I agreed to do the role, as I liked the script immensely.

I don't overact, so people think that I naturally act well. I underplay my roles, and that has worked for me.

The energy of first-time directors is tremendous. They work beyond the limits for a hit in this competitive industry.

All my films have turned out well only because of the director's brilliance, not because of me.

During script narrations, if I feel the screenplay mood jumping abruptly, I tell the director, and they work on it.

I don't take any project lightly. Every project is important for me. In fact, every scene in every film is important.

If I am ever forced to choose between my identity as a Tamilian and an award from the central government, I will choose the former.

The food we eat is our identity. The youth of the nation must save our food culture and traditions. If not, it will affect future generations.

When my parents force-fed me healthy food, they were confident they were giving me the best. But now, when I feed my children, I am not sure if what I am giving them is safe. Politics and pesticides are destroying our food culture.

I prepare my style of biriyani by sauting sliced onion, tomato, green chilli, ginger garlic and add required water and rice. If I end up adding a tad too much of salt, I used to add curd to balance it.

I was not a fussy kid and had a good appetite. Only, I was not happy to eat keerai and vegetables.

I can not stay at the place when a stranger starts talking to me. I will try to cut the speech as quick as possible and move away. I had to break this inhibition before becoming an actor.

We never take people seriously when they are alive, but once they are gone, we always think that we should have treated them better.

If I spend 10 days at home, I'll be dying to get back to the set. I love the thrill of a good dialogue, the buzz of shooting.

Your present is shaped by your yesterday, but you don't have to advertise it.

One of my biggest drawbacks is my inability to maintain my physique. I put on weight for 'Soodhu Kavvum' and never managed to shed it. Luckily, that look suited a few films, including 'Orange Mittai.'

When an actor decides to play a character, he must exude some sort of charisma and look relatable, even if he is playing the role of a really unattractive person.

I came to cinema for money. I had to settle a loan of Rs 10 lakh. I had no other go, so I thought I'd try my luck in films. I was earning Rs 25,000 at that time. It was not even enough for my family.

I was always under the impression that acting is an innate gift. One of the first things I heard them say at Koothu-P-Pattarai was that actors should realise the art of acting through their training.