Vijay Sethupathi is one of the busiest actors of Tamil cinema and he has done several roles with grey shades. He was approached by Mythri Movie Makers for the role of the lead antagonist in Uppena which marks the debut of Vaishnav Tej, brother of actor Sai Dharam Tej. Vijay Sethupathi loved the role and signed the film. He is said to have reportedly charged Rs 5 crores for the film which is huge.

The makers agreed to pay the quoted remuneration and Vijay Sethupathi recently wrapped up the shoot for the film in a month. Uppena is directed by Buchi Babu, a protege of Sukumar and is in final stages of shoot. Touted to be a village-based romantic drama, Uppena releases during the end of this year.