Mar 14, 2026 1:30pm IST
Vijay Sethupathi: ‘I did ‘Jawan’ just for Shah Rukh Khan and Atlee’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Shah Rukh Khan delivered the biggest hit of his career with “Jawan,” where he entertained audiences with a dual role in Atlee’s action-thriller. However, the film is also remembered for Vijay Sethupathi’s striking antagonist turn as Kalee Gaikwad, a character that stood out for its menacing yet engaging screen presence.
The versatile star, fondly known as “Makkal Selvan,” reveals the reason behind taking up “Jawan” and shares his favourite moment from the SRK-starrer while speaking to Variety India.
Sharing that he agreed to do “Jawan” only because of Shah Rukh Khan and Atlee, Sethupathi praised the director’s vision. “I like the way Atlee makes his films. He knows where the scene or shot should rise and how to make it engaging. And he’s very confident about his scenes. So I like the way he works. And then, obviously, it was about Shah Rukh sir. That’s all. Just for them only, I did that film.”
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Sethupathi also revealed an interesting piece of trivia about the film, sharing that a memorable moment between him and Shah Rukh Khan was improvised not on set but during dubbing.
“Before the climax, there is a scene where Shah Rukh sir and his friends are there, and I enter with the baseball bat. As a villain, I come in with the father character (played by Shah Rukh Khan) inside the jail. Before my entry, they were shooting my point of view where the son (another character played by Shah Rukh Khan) is there along with the girls. So I’m going to handle both the son and the father and achieve what I want,” he explains.
“I wanted to dance, so I played the ‘Kalyana Chayal Chaatham’ song just for rhythm reference. I danced and enjoyed it. Later, during dubbing, Shah Rukh sir came and told me, ‘I got a gift.’ He made me sing there even though there was no lip movement,” he adds.
“During the back shot, he asked me to say, ‘Santa has come and has a gift for you.’ So I tried to sing the song and match it with the body language. It didn’t happen on set; it actually happened during dubbing. When they were kneeling down, he told me to laugh like Santa, saying ‘ho ho ho.’ He showed me how to do it. That was a good experience.”
The actor adds that the impromptu moment eventually made it into the final cut. “Earlier, it wasn’t there, but later it was kept in the film. So you can add something during dubbing, and it can still work,” he concludes.
“Jawan” also featured Nayanthara, Deepika Padukone, Sanya Malhotra and Priyamani, among others. The film was produced under the banner of Red Chillies Entertainment.
Meanwhile, Sethupathi is gearing up for the release of “Muthu Alias Kaattaan.” The JioHotstar series premieres March 27.
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