Vijay Sethupathi recalls being body-shamed in Bollywood and Tamil film industry: 'Sometimes people say...'

Vijay Sethupathi recently impressed fans with his performance as the villain in Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Jawan. He garnered much love from the audience. The actor is now awaiting the release of his upcoming movie Merry Christmas. In a recent interview, he recalled how he was body shamed in Bollywood as well as the Tamil film industry, however, now the newfound love he’s receiving for the way he looks acts like an “energy drink”. 

In a recent conversation with Indian Express, Vijay Sethupathi said, "Main aisa hi tha, body shaming bohot kiya tha mujhe (I have faced a lot of body-shaming for the way I look). Wahaan bhi kiya tha (they also did it). It happened, but the good thing is that people accept you the way you are. Today wherever I go, I am accepted, it is a blessing. (It’s all) thanks to my audience that I am happy being myself. I didn’t expect this, I didn’t…" 

The actor further added that the love that he now gets from his fans proves that he is going in the right direction and said, "I believe fans are fans and their love is so true. Receiving love from fans is like an energy drink. When people love you, it gives you hope that your work has reached people they have understood and they really like your work. That’s what I understood from the fan clubs. That always gives me energy." 

He further added, "When I first started coming to Mumbai for Mumbaikar and Gandhi Talks, very few people knew me. Now, a lot of people know me and they come to talk to me about the films and my roles, which makes me feel very happy. At the end of the day, we are doing films for the audience, being actors we want to be loved by the audience. Once we get it, it’s like ok apna raasta toh sahi tarike se chal raha hai (I am in the right direction)."

While he is lauded for his performances in the movies, he is casual looks at the parties are often talked about. The actor revealed that this makes him conscious and said, "Sometimes I am conscious about my costumes because I believe in wearing what I am comfortable in. Sometimes people say I am showing off, sometimes they say I am too simple. Chappal pehnega toh simple matlab kya (how is wearing slippers equal to being simple?). But sometimes I am conscious of that also. If I go to functions, I see people dressed up really well, and I get really conscious. So mostly I try to avoid going for get-togethers and meetings generally, otherwise, I am comfortable." 

Meanwhile, Vijay Sethupathi is all set to star opposite Katrina Kaif in Sriram Raghavan's Merry Christmas. The film was earlier scheduled for December but was postponed to avoid a clash with Salaar and Dunki. Now, the movie is all set to hit the theatres on January 12.