By News18
Vijay Sethupathi鈥檚 son, Surya Sethupathi, marked his debut as a lead in the sports action drama, Phoenix. While Surya has appeared as a supporting character in some films, Phoenix is his full-fledged debut as a lead star. In an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Surya opened up about his acting ambitions, his love for Shah Rukh Khan and the weight of being a nepo kid in the film industry.
Surya admits that he was both 鈥渧ery excited鈥 and 鈥渁 little nervous鈥 before the release of his film. He says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 my first movie, so I have both feelings. The director (stunt master-turned-director Anl Arasu) wanted a person like me. The story revolves around a local area, and I was familiar with that setting.鈥
The actor mentions that Phoenix felt right to him as he always wanted to star in an action film. He explains, 鈥淚鈥檝e done a lot of stunts off-screen, and I wanted to do something in the action genre. So, when Master came up with an MMA-based story like this, I was immediately interested. I practised MMA for more than a year.鈥
Surya鈥檚 efforts paid off as Phoenix opened to largely positive reviews on July 4. However, he received his first compliment from his family at a private screening, two months before the film鈥檚 release. Surya says his father, Vijay Sethupathi, 鈥渨as very happy鈥 with the film. He adds, 鈥淢y mom and my sister were a little emotional as well. That鈥檚 the biggest gift for me because my sister is like a second mother to me.鈥
During the announcement of his film, the debutant actor claimed, 鈥淚 have come to this place because of hardship since my childhood. My father gives me 500 rupees daily for expenses. That鈥檚 why I have come to win in cinema.鈥 This statement led to a lot of backlash, with some calling out the actor for not acknowledging his privilege.
Surya has since changed his tune. He says, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to win in cinema. There鈥檚 nothing to win in cinema. I just want to do a lot of action movies and try different stunts. My goal is not very big; I just want to enjoy my art form.
As for his privileged footing in the film industry, he mentions, 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing wrong with calling someone a nepo kid. It means your father had some legacy, right? You are going to start something new. As a nepo kid, the one thing you have to do is work harder than your dad. You have a big barrier before you that you need to break. There will be a lot of struggles, but they will teach you many lessons.鈥
In Surya Sethupathi鈥檚 case, he has a rich legacy to carry forward. Vijay Sethupathi has not only impressed fans in the South but also has left an impact in Bollywood with films like Jawan and Merry Christmas. Surya is proud of his father鈥檚 inroads into Hindi films and says, 鈥淚 would like to work with Shah Rukh Khan sir and Salman Khan sir. They鈥檙e both my favourites, I love them. I enjoy watching them in movies.鈥 As for his father鈥檚 films, Surya would like to star as a lead in the remake of Vikram Vedha and Naanum Rowdy Dhaan.
With Phoenix out in theatres, Surya is eyeing two more lucrative projects. However, the actor admits he will only confirm his next films after fully gauging the response to Phoenix.