Vijay Sethupathi is on a signing spree in Bollywood. After being signed for a crucial role in the Hindi remake of the Tamil Maanagaram, the actor is all set to team up with filmmaker Sriram Raghavan for his next project. Rumoured to be titled Merry Christmas, the project is expected to go on the floors in April and will be entirely shot in Pune.
As per reports, it will be a 90-minute film and the complete shooting will be wrapped up in just 20 odd days. Like Sriram’s last film Andhadhun, this project is also said to be inspired by a short story. Katrina Kaif has been signed as the female lead.
Vijay Sethupathi, who was recently seen in the Vijay starrer Master, was supposed to make his Bollywood debut with Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha. However, he had to opt out of the project due to unavailability of dates as the shooting for the project got delayed due to the pandemic. He recently clarified about rumours that said he was asked to leave the project over weight issues. He said that the role was offered to him by Aamir Khan personally.
He told TNM, “Aamir sir personally offered me the role. He then flew down to Tamil Nadu where I was shooting to narrate the script to me. For some reason, the director Advait Chandan couldn’t come. Aamir sir came alone, narrated the script and stayed overnight in that town and left the next morning. Such a big superstar and no airs. And he is a marvellous storyteller. The way he narrated the story was mesmerising. I immediately said yes.”
Explaining why he couldn’t be part of the project, he said the pandemic affected the dates he had set aside for the project. “COVID happened. It spoiled all our plans. After the lockdown, I had five Telugu projects in various stages of production to complete. I just couldn’t accommodate Laal Singh Chaddha in my schedule,” he said. Vijay said it would be an honour to find an opportunity to work with Aamir Khan in the future.
Vijay Sethupathi’s last outing, Master, was directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. After a long wait, the film finally hit the screens on the January 13 to coincide with Pongal. In the film, Vijay plays a college professor named John Durairaj while Vijay Sethupathi is seen as a gangster named Bhavani.
Vijay Sethupathi is teaming up with director Vetrimaaran for the first time for an upcoming project with Soori in the lead. Apparently, the actor has already joined the sets and is believed to be playing a very pivotal role. His other Tamil projects include Tughlaq Darbar with Delhiprasad Deenadayalan and Vignesh Shivn’s Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kadhal, which also stars Samantha and Nayanthara.
Vijay Sethupathi also has SP Jananathan’s Laabam, which also stars Shruti Haasan. The film is bankrolled by Vijay Sethupathi Productions in association with Arumuga Kumar, who had produced Vijay’s Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren.
(Content provided by Digital Native)