Lokesh Kanagaraj had a problem. He had signed Vijay, the undisputed king of the Tamil box office, for a massive project titled Master. But here was the catch: a protagonist is only as compelling as the force trying to stop him. To make Master work, he didn't just need a "villain." He needed a mirror. He needed someone who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a superstar and not get eclipsed. Enter Vijay Sethupathi.
The Master film cast wasn't just a list of actors. It was an experiment in balancing egos, screen presence, and traditional Kollywood tropes. Usually, in a "Thalapathy" Vijay movie, the supporting cast is just there to react. They gasp when he walks in. They cry when he's hurt. But in this 2021 blockbuster, the ensemble had to do some heavy lifting because the script was actually trying to say something about systemic failure and redemption.
The JD vs. Bhavani Dynamic: A Tale of Two Vijays
Let's be real. Most people bought a ticket to see the face-off. Vijay played JD, an alcoholic college professor with a mysterious past and a penchant for breaking rules. On the other side, Vijay Sethupathi played Bhavani, a ruthless gangster who used juveniles as shields for his crimes.
It was a masterstroke.
Honestly, Sethupathi stole a lot of the thunder. His portrayal of Bhavani was chilling because it was so casual. He wasn't twirling a mustache. He was punching people with a literal iron fist while cracking jokes about his childhood trauma. The chemistry between the two—despite them barely sharing the screen until the final act—is what kept the seats filled. You've got JD, who is technically the "good guy" but is a mess for the first half of the film. Then you have Bhavani, who is organized, disciplined, and utterly evil.
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The contrast was the point.
Lokesh Kanagaraj took a huge risk by letting his antagonist have such a fleshed-out backstory. Usually, the villain is just "bad because he's bad." Bhavani had a reason. We saw him survive a burning cell. We saw him harden. By the time he meets JD, he feels like an inevitable force.
Malavika Mohanan and the Underused Support
Malavika Mohanan played Charulatha. If we’re being critical, this is where the Master film cast felt a bit lopsided. Charu is the catalyst for the plot—she’s the one who gets JD into the juvenile observation home—but her character doesn't get much to do once the action kicks in. It’s a recurring critique of big-budget Tamil cinema. The female lead often becomes a glorified plot device.
However, she brought a certain poise that grounded the chaotic energy of the college scenes.
Then you have the students. This is where the ensemble gets interesting.
- Arjun Das: As Das, the guy running the show inside the observation home, he was terrifying. That voice? It’s legendary. He managed to hold his own even when Sethupathi was in the frame.
- Andrea Jeremiah: Her role as Vaanathi was small but surprising. She wasn't playing a love interest; she was a skilled archer who actually helped in the climax. It was a brief glimpse of the "Lokesh Cinematic Universe" (LCU) style of utility characters.
- Shanthnu Bhagyaraj: A lot of fans felt he was wasted. He’s a lead actor in his own right, but here he played a relatively minor student role. It speaks to the pulling power of Vijay that actors of this caliber were willing to take "smaller" spots just to be part of the vision.
The Secret Ingredient: The Juvenile Inmates
People forget that the emotional core of Master wasn't the superstars. It was the kids. The actors playing the boys in the observation home—specifically those playing Undiyal and the others—had to sell the stakes. If you didn't care about those kids getting hurt, JD’s transformation from a drunk who forgets his students' names to a savior wouldn't have landed.
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It worked. When the tragedy strikes halfway through, the audience feels the shift in JD.
That shift is signaled by Poovaiyar. Most know him as "Guppy" or from his viral folk singing. In Master, he provided the levity. But he also provided the heart. His rapport with Vijay felt genuine, not scripted. It felt like a big brother/little brother bond that made the darker turns of the second half hurt even more.
Why the Casting Dictated the Style
Lokesh Kanagaraj didn't just pick names out of a hat. He picked archetypes.
Think about Gouri G. Kishan. She played the younger version of Trisha in '96. In Master, she plays a student leader. She represents the "innocence" of the college world that JD is failing to protect. Or consider Mahendran, who played the younger version of Bhavani. His performance was so visceral that it set the tone for the entire movie before the elder Vijay even appeared.
The film is long. Nearly three hours. Without this specific Master film cast, that runtime would have been a slog. But because every few minutes a recognizable face like Nassar or Dheena popped up, the momentum stayed high.
The Technical Backbone
The cast only looks as good as the camera allows. Sathyan Sooryan’s cinematography favored close-ups that lingered on Sethupathi’s smirks and Vijay’s weary eyes. The casting of the "background" was just as vital. The observation home felt like a prison because of the claustrophobic staging of the dozens of extras and minor players.
It wasn't all perfect, though.
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Some critics argued the film had too many characters. Did we need every single student? Probably not. But in the context of South Indian "Mass" cinema, the ensemble is part of the spectacle. It’s about the scale.
Practical Takeaways for the Cinephile
If you're looking at the Master film cast as a student of cinema or just a fan, there are a few things to keep in mind regarding why this specific group changed the game for Kollywood.
- The "Two-Hero" Shift: Master proved that a superstar doesn't lose "mass" appeal by sharing the screen with a powerful antagonist actor. If anything, Sethupathi made Vijay look better.
- Stunt Casting vs. Character Casting: While some roles were small, they weren't random. Using Arjun Das for his voice and intensity added a layer of dread that a generic henchman wouldn't have provided.
- The LCU Factor: Though Master is technically a standalone film (unlike Kaithi or Vikram), the casting choices set the template for how Lokesh builds his worlds. He populates his films with actors who can carry a scene even if they only have five minutes of dialogue.
To really appreciate what happened here, watch the "Vaathi Coming" song again. Notice how the cast reacts to Vijay. It’s not just choreographed dancing; it’s an energy. Then, immediately go watch the scenes in the observation home. The shift in tone—from vibrant college life to gritty survival—is bridged entirely by the performances of the supporting cast.
If you're planning a rewatch, pay close attention to Mahendran in the opening ten minutes. His performance as young Bhavani is the foundation for everything Sethupathi does later. It's a rare case where a child actor's "vibe" perfectly translates into the adult version of the character. That kind of casting synergy is hard to fake.