Vijay Sethupathi felicitated with Amitabh Bachchan Youth Icon award at Chennai International Film Festival

Vijay Sethupathi, who has had a promising 2017 with super-hit films such as Vikram Vedha and Kavan, was felicitated with the ‘Amitabh Bachchan Youth Icon’ award at the closing ceremony of the 15th Chennai International Film Festival. Reminiscing about his early days as an aspiring actor, Vijay Sethupathi said, “When I was trying for acting opportunities during my formative years in the industry, so many people had asked me about ‘international films,’ which sounded like a strange term to me. I thought just like how we make films here, they create in their own countries. Then, I happened to read an article written by cameraman Cheziyan in Vikatan magazine and later watched Life Is Beautiful. That’s when I understood what international cinema meant. Life Is Beautiful made me think deeply.” [caption id=“attachment_4271031” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Vijay Sethupathi in Vikram Vedha.[/caption] Vijay Sethupathi also recalled his film festival experiences and how he became a fan of the medium. “I did not have enough time then to watch a lot of films since I was frantically searching for offers. I was more focused on learning the nuances of acting. Then, I made contact with a lot of friends and expanded my network. Later, I started to attend film festivals for two to three years with a few friends and acquaintances to understand the real meaning of cinema. But I was baffled about what films to watch. Some told me that ‘matter films’ would be screened at festivals. I couldn’t even understand the descriptions written for each film,” he said. Vijay Sethupathi talked in detail about the Kazazh film Tulpan and how it transformed him into a film aficionado. “As I gradually started watching, one movie which turned out to be an eye-opener for me was the Kazakh drama Tulpan. It left me awestruck. It had a simple, flesh-and-blood storyline and spellbinding shots. Although I couldn’t understand the language, I was hooked to the screen. I could feel the culture of Kazakhstan in the story. It swept me off my feet. It was a divine experience. After I came out of the screen, there were non-stop discussions about who the director was and what films he had made earlier. But, I wanted to learn more about the structure of the screenplay, the performances of actors, shot divisions and fascinating metaphors in the story. That’s when I began to watch movies keenly and understand it from different perspectives. Later, cinema continued to teach me a lot. And, I’m still learning from films.” Vijay Sethupathi donated the cash award presented to him for the festival and said, “No one can own the film industry. For the past few days, I have been reading some silly reports. We had legends like Rajinikanth, MGR and others. Everyone has left behind a great legacy. Today, I’m standing here with this award and tomorrow someone new will arrive. Cinema is a reflection of our society. We all are here because of cinema and not vice-versa.” While debutant director Suresh Sangaiah’s Oru Kidaiyain Karunai Manu, which starred Viddharth in the lead role, bagged the Best Tamil Feature Film award, Vikram Vedha helmed by director duo Pushkar and Gayathri fetched the Second Best Tamil Feature Film honour. Vikram Vedha has also topped the IMDB’s ‘Top 10 Indian Films of 2017’ list published yesterday. Debutant director Lokesh Kanagaraj’s acclaimed hyperlink thriller Maanagaram, which featured Sundeep Kishan, Sri and Regina Cassandra in the lead roles, won the Special Jury award. Veteran filmmaker Bharathiraja, who delivered a sterling performance as Sundaram in debutant director Nithilan Swaminathan’s Kurangu Bommai, earned a Special Jury Mention certificate from the committee. Other films that were contending for top honours under the competition section include Thupparivaalan, Aramm, Kadugu, 8 Thottakkal, Taramani, and Magalir Mattum to name a few.