We've seen him as a terrific gangster, we’ve whistled to his iconic swag as a small time crook in ‘Soodhu Kavvum’, we’ve also witnessed him as the macho cop: Vijay Sethupathi is a bundle of surprises packed to awe you each time without fail. And as ‘Makkal Selvan’ celebrates his birthday today, Indiaglitz ponders why we love the man behind Vedha so much dearly.

Apart from his spectacular screen presence and realistic ‘matter of fact’ performances, what Vijay Sethupathi does is provide accessibility to his characters. However far fetched his characters maybe, Vijay’s ability to translate them into relatable and palatable experiences remains to be his unique and strong attribute.
 
Even though he made his debut as a lead actor in 'Thenmerkku Paruvakaatru', his breakout movie happened to with the then debut director Karthik Subbaraj. 'Pizza' was not only critically acclaimed for its story treatment, Vijay Sethupathi’s no-nonsense ,easy and fluid portrayal of a delivery boy planning to con those around him earned him much appraisal from his newly found fan base and movie buffs as well.

Vijay then continued to challenge and break industry stereotypes by acing roles that a growing actor would have avoided. His role as an old man in ‘Orange Mittai’ comes to mind next to his much adored role in ‘Itharkku Thaane Aasaipattaai Balakumara’.  But as much as he rendered his exceptional and impassioned performances in films like ‘Dharmadurai’, Vijay Sethupathi did not hesitate to tread the path of commercial heroism and actually walk out successfully (think ‘Sethupathi’, ‘Rakka’)

It doesn't matter if the character needs memory impaired buffoonery or the savage swag of an ethical underworld gangster, Vijay Sethupathi delivers the goods and exceeeds your expectations. 'Iraivi', 'Naanum Rowdy Thaan' and his ‘socialistic’ role in ‘Porambokku Engira Podhuvudamai’ are also some of the highlights in his filmography.  
 
And one cannot but wonder for a man with such an impressive portfolio, Vijay Sethupathi’s story is also an endearing tale of a man who clung onto his acting aspirations with an iron grip no matter what. Be it his first appearance as a boxing spectator in Mohan Raja’s ‘M.Kumran s/o Mahalakshmi’, a henchman in Dhanush’s ‘Pudhupettai’, his growth and the gradual spike in his career is almost unbelievable and inspiring as well.  And also factors like humility and his down to earth personality have earned him the love of the masses rightly justifying the ‘Makkal Selvan’ tag.

Altogether, Vijay Sethupathi might be the only qualified hero to ace literary and commercial films equally winning the hearts of millions of fans. ‘Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren’, ‘Junga’, ‘Imaikka Nodigal’, ‘Seethakaathi’, ‘Super Deluxe’ are some of the projects in the pipeline for the actor and we can be rest assured that he will continue to dazzle us forever.
 
On this joyous ocassion, Indiagltiz wishes Vijay Sethupathi once again a very happy birthday and a much more prosperous career ahead!