Jun 11, 2026 5:23pm IST
Vijay Sethupathi: ‘Exploring the World Of Darkness Was Very Illuminating’ (EXCLUSIVE)
In director Puri Jagannadh's upcoming "SlumDog: 33 Temple Road", Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi plays a visually impaired character for the first time and the actor resorted to method acting to ensure he got the character traits right. In fact, he went to the extent of keeping his eyes shut for hours and then days to get accustomed to be able to play the part convincingly.
While Puri Jagannadh advised Sethupathi to play the role instinctively, Vijay insisted on doing his own research. He wanted to feel the dark world of a blind man. Says Puri,
"I asked Vijay if all this effort was worth the while for a potboiler."
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Sethupathi defended his dedication, saying, “It doesn’t matter to me what the mood of a film is. Even if it is a potboiler, it gets the same attention and focus from me. And please don’t judge the director by his past record."
The actor insists that it's the sort of dedication he would put in for any role. “It doesn’t matter what kind of cinema I am doing. My level of dedication, the determination to get it right, is the same. The opportunity to play a blind man was a godsend. I got to explore the world of darkness. And I must say it was very illuminating.”
To prepare for his sightless character Vijay also watched performances of actors playing blind characters: from Audrey Hepburn in "Wait Until Dark" to Naseeruddin Shah in "Sparsh."
Sethupathi is all praise for his co-star Tabu. “You have to see what she plays. Watching her shoot was a huge privilege. And she is so fluent in Telugu! Tabuji and Zarina Wahabji were constantly chatting on the set in Telugu.”
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