Actor Vijay Sethupathi recently shared why he declined to act opposite Krithi Shetty in a romantic role. In an interview with Behindwoods while promoting his upcoming film Maharaja, Sethupathi explained that he refused the role due to Shetty's age and their previous on-screen relationship.

Vijay Sethupathi explains why he declined a romantic role with Krithi

Vijay revealed that Krithi Shetty was initially considered for the female lead in Ponram’s 2022 film DSP. However, he turned down the offer because he had played her father in Buchi Babu Sana’s 2021 Telugu film Uppena. He said, "I declined the offer of being paired opposite Krithi in the DSP movie. I played her father in Uppena, which the makers didn’t know about. There’s a scene in Uppena that Krithi was nervous about when we were shooting. I even asked her to think of me as her real father while we were shooting that. She is a little older than my son. I told them I couldn’t do it."

As a result, Anukreethy Vas was cast as his character Vascodagama’s love interest and later wife, Annapoorani. The film received mixed to negative reviews upon its release.

When Vijay opened up about working with Krithi Shetty

This isn't the first time Vijay has spoken about turning down a romantic role opposite Krithi Shetty. In 2023, he mentioned to the press, “I played the role of Bebamma’s father in the Telugu movie Uppena. After Uppena's success, I signed a film in Tamil. The film unit thought Krithi Shetty would be good as the heroine. When I received her photo, I immediately called the unit and told them I had played her father in a recently released Telugu film. I can’t romantically approach her. So, please avoid her as a heroine.”

Vijay Sethupathi’s next release is Nithilan Swaminathan’s Maharaja, which hits theaters on June 14 and features Anurag Kashyap in a lead role. Additionally, he will star in Vetrimaaran’s Viduthalai 2 and a silent film titled Gandhi Talks. Krithi Shetty will appear in Sriram Adittya’s Telugu film Manamey alongside Sharwanand, set for release on June 7.