Vijay Sethupathi returns to Dubai to promote ‘Ace’, a city where he worked as an accountant earning Dh1300

Tamil superstar Vijay Sethupathi will be in Dubai next week to discuss his latest film Ace, a romantic crime comedy directed by Arumuga Kumar and set for theatrical release on May 23. According to organisers, Vijay Sethupathi will lock in the exact dates soon.

In Ace, also starring Rukmini Vasanth, Yogi Babu, Divya Pillai, and Babloo Prithiveeraj, Sethupathi plays “Bold Kannan,” a mysterious man navigating high-stakes deception in Malaysia.

The visit is particularly poignant for Sethupathi, who once lived in Dubai working as an accountant earning just Dh1,300 a month. “I used to distribute free ads on Shaikh Zayed Road every Thursday. I kept asking around for part-time jobs just to survive,” he recalled in a Gulf News interview last year. Watching the trailer of his film Maharaja light up the Burj Khalifa reminded him of those early days of struggle.

Now, with 50 films under his belt, including blockbusters like Super Deluxe and Jawan alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Sethupathi is celebrated for his unconventional roles and grounded charm. But he remains refreshingly modest: “I still eat on the floor. I don’t have a dining table. I live in a 1,300-square-foot flat.”

Ace promises to add to his impressive resume. The trailer teases a genre-mix of action, humour, and heist thrills, set against the vibrant backdrop of Malaysia. The film’s music is by Justin Prabhakaran, with cinematography by Karan B. Rawat and editing by Fenny Oliver.

Following its theatrical run, Ace will stream on Prime Video. For Sethupathi, who once dreamt of just earning enough to buy a used car and flat, his Dubai return as a celebrated actor is nothing short of cinematic.

“Life gave me more than I dared to dream,” he said — and Ace might just prove that again.