Actor Vijay Sethupathi's performance in recent Hindi-Tamil release Merry Christmas was highly praised. 

While watching Sriram Raghavan’s Merry Christmas, I couldn’t help but think about its leading man, Vijay Sethupathi. How plausible would it have been a few years ago for a Tamil actor like him to work as a hero in Hindi films? Before you jump the gun and pull me by the ear to Kamal Haasan’s Ek Duje Ke Liye (1984) or to Dhanush’s Raanjhanaa (2013), there is a fine difference between them and Vijay Sethupathi.

For the average Hindi filmgoer, Vijay Sethupathi’s instant recall is as the actor who played villain to Shah Rukh Khan in Jawan. Before that he was perhaps known as that south actor who played villain in Kamal Haasan’s Vikram or the bad guy in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Master starring Vijay. And even before that, he was an upcoming hero who played an ‘almost villain, almost son’ to superstar Rajinikanth in Pettai. For film buffs across India and the world, Vijay Sethupathi has played heartwarming heroes in content driven films, such as 96. Director Sriram Raghavan said in an interview as to how he saw Vijay Sethupathi in 96 and decided he had found his Albert for Merry Christmas.