I don’t take negativity too much to heart: Surya Sethupathi

In an exclusive conversation with us, Surya Sethupathi, who made his debut as a lead actor recently with Phoenix , opens up about his debut, dealing with online trolling, discussing cinema with his father, Vijay Sethupathi, and more...‘MY FATHER AND I DISCUSS ABOUT THE MOVIES THAT WE WATCH’My family was very happy after watching Phoenix . They didn’t know how the film would turn out when we were making it, but they were happy when they saw the movie. My father said, ‘Superb… I didn’t expect you would do this well.’” Generally, when my father and I watch movies, we also discuss them. If I have a doubt about a scene or feel that it’s good, we talk about it. I remember us talking about the climax of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood , particularly the perspective of Brad Pitt’s character.On the trolling he faced on social media...There is negativity everywhere, and we can’t stop it. Everyone faces it in their life, but we should learn to handle the negativity. You should never let your mind get affected by it. I don’t take it too much to heart. Even if I do something wrong, I think about what I can do next. I don’t believe in torturing myself by thinking, ‘Why did I do it?’‘VAA VAATHIYAAR WAS THE FIRST FILM THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO’Nalan Kumarasamy sir’s Vaa Vaathiyaar was the first film that I was supposed to do.

I missed it because I had started shooting for Phoenix by then. It’s Anl Arasu sir who chose me for the film. It was a beautiful gift that I got. But the films I’m going to do from now on will be the ones that I choose. As of now, I have liked two scripts, but I haven’t signed anything yet.‘EVEN IF I MAKE MISTAKES, I WILL RECTIFY THEM IN MY NEXT FILM’I feel happy that a lot of people appreciated Phoenix . We had put in the effort, and it felt nice to see people respond to that. That appreciation is all we work for.

As long as people enjoy my films and accept them, I’m happy. I just want to make a lot of entertaining films. The audience should be entertained for the two-and-a-half hours they spend inside the theatre. I hope to do what is needed to achieve that. Even if I make mistakes, I will rectify them in my next film.

I’d also love to learn other languages, work in those film industries and dub in my own voice.‘I TRY TO AVOID WATCHING MY FILMS AS I GET CONSCIOUS WHEN I SEE MYSELF ON SCREEN’When I acted as a child actor (in Naanum Rowdy Dhaan and Sindhubaadh ), I wasn’t conscious of what I was doing.

I was more confident and didn’t think of acting as work. I wasn’t afraid of the camera because I knew nothing then. As you get to know more about your work, you end up being more scared of the camera. I don’t watch the two films that I did as a child anymore. I feel shy to even watch Phoenix as I get conscious when I watch myself on screen.

But when I’m alone at home, I imitate the dialogues I see in movies. Everybody at home tease me for it.‘I’M INTERESTED IN DIRECTION, TOO’I’m interested in direction as well. I took up English Literature in college because I wanted to direct. I have also done a nine-month course at Rajiv Menon sir’s film institute. I have directed four to five short films because I wanted to know what direction is and what I’m capable of. I’ve written one script, but haven’t completed it; writing is hard.

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