south star vijay sethupathi (Vijay Sethupathi) is known for his strong acting. Till now he has given many hit films like ‘Jawaan’, ‘Maharaja’, ’96’, ‘Pizza’. The life story of Vijay, known as ‘Makkal Selvan’ in Tamil cinema, is very inspirational. His real name is Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi Kalimuthu, and he was born on 16 January 1978 in Rajapalayam, Tamil Nadu.

In his childhood, he grew up in Rajapalayam, but after the sixth class, he shifted to Chennai with his family. He studied at MGR Higher Secondary School in Kodambakkam, Chennai, but he himself admits that during his school days he was a below average student and was neither interested in sports nor in extra-curricular activities.

At the age of 16, he auditioned for the film ‘Nammavar’ (1994), but was rejected due to his short height. To earn pocket money, he worked as a salesman in a retail store, as a cashier in a fast food joint, and as a phone booth operator. Then, Dhanraj took B.Com degree from Baid Jain College and started working as an accountant.

Before becoming an actor, Vijay Sethupathi worked as an NRI accountant in Dubai. He was not happy with his job there, so he returned to India. After marriage, his wife did not let him go back to Dubai because she was pregnant. Then he tried interior decoration business, but it failed.

Returning to Chennai, he became an accountant in the theater company ‘Koothu-Pa-Pattarai’, where he used to watch and observe plays. He was very shy and introverted, but one day he decided to overcome his shyness by acting. Joined theater and did a course for three months. He entered the film industry as a background artist and did small roles in films like Dhanush’s ‘Pudhupettai’ (2006).

Worked in minor supporting roles for more than five years. Director Balu Mahendra told her that her face was photogenic and advised her to pursue a career in acting, which encouraged her. Finally, in 2010, he got his first lead role in the film ‘Thenmerku Paruvakaatru’, which proved to be his breakthrough.

Talking about Vijay Sethupathi’s net worth, it is estimated to be between Rs 120 to 140 crore in 2026 according to different reports. They charge Rs 15-20 crore for a film. He got Rs 21 crore for ‘Jawaan’ (2023). There have also been talks of fees up to Rs 50 crore in some OTT projects. Earns around Rs 50 lakh for brand endorsement.

He has his own production house ‘Vijay Sethupathi Productions’, which has made films like ‘Orange Mittai’. Property investments (houses in Kilpauk, Ennore, North Chennai in Chennai, total value around Rs 50-100 crore), luxury cars (BMW 7 Series, Mini Cooper, Toyota Fortuner, Innova).