In Alaipayuthey, Karthik (Madhavan) is the Red Flag - Sethu (Vivek) is the Green Flag

 🎥 In Alaipayuthey, Karthik (Madhavan) is the Red Flag  - Sethu (Vivek) is the Green Flag

Alaipayuthey has its own set of problems—one of them being how Shakti (Shalini) is shown cooking even after returning from work while Karthik gets to put his feet up.

Of course, I missed all of this as a child.
Just like I missed the fact that:

• Sethu (Vivek) is a green flag, and
• Karthik (Madhavan) is THE red flag.

🌸 Back Then, I Genuinely Thought Karthik was the Dream.

• Even though I didn’t like boys stalking me in the name of romance,
• Karthik’s behavior didn’t agitate me.
• All my classmates swooned over him anyway.
• And as a kid, the one thing you don’t want is to be different.

So, I went with the flow.

• Sethu?
• He was just there—as comic relief or a character artist.

🌿 Respect vs Obsession: Sethu and Karthik

While Karthik stalks Shakti (and Shakti low-key likes the stalking), something very different happens with Sethu.

The moment Sethu realizes Shakti isn’t interested in marrying him:

• He respectfully steps away.
• He never brings it up again.
• When his mother talks about making Shakti her daughter-in-law:
• Sethu firmly tells her to keep quiet.

⚠️ Disclaimer

I am not supporting marriages within family.
Please don’t do that.

💔 Kindness That Isn’t Conditional

Sethu shows no bitterness toward Shakti for rejecting him.

• When Shakti mocks his stutter as he comes to wish her luck for her exam,

• He simply says, “Paravala” (“It’s okay”).

I hate Shakti for being ableist in that moment.
And I wish Sethu defended himself—even though he loves her.

• Karthik might be “perfect” in a filmy way,
• But he doesn’t have a heart like Sethu’s.

🛤️ Knowing Your Place — and Stepping Aside Gracefully

Perhaps Sethu understands that:

• He is “below Shakti’s standards”, and
• The only “qualification” he has to marry her is being her cousin.

When Shakti receives a surprise proposal from America-return Shyam (Karthik Kumar):

• Sethu happily clears the way.
• He jokes that he can only buy Shakti an America map,
• But Shyam can take her to America

He even puts himself—and his mother—down by saying:

“When good things happen, unhelpful people should step away.”

That line hurts because it’s soaked in self-awareness and resignation.

💚 Shyam: A Brief but Solid Green Flag

Despite his limited screen time, Shyam wins hearts.

His honesty during the bride-seeing scene—

• “Na ok va… ok illaya?”
• (Am I okay for you? Or am I not okay?)

That moment has my whole heart.

🎭 Filmy Romance vs Emotional Maturity

Karthik is very filmy.

• And when we’re younger, we like filmy things.

• They help us escape reality—

• Like a man searching for us across towns during an educational tour.

But as we grow older:

• We don’t want drama.
• We want emotional safety.

We’d choose a man like Sethu, who is tender and kind.

🌍 “If I Didn’t Get It, No One Should” — And Why Sethu Matters

 

We live in a world filled with people who believe:

“What I didn’t get, others shouldn’t get either.”

Sethu breaks this pattern.

• He cares for Shakti till the very end.
• He wishes her well without resentment.
• And I love him for that.

This hit close to home.

• My life stagnated for years due to severe illness.
• My cousins moved ahead in life.
• I couldn’t expect the world to stop so I could catch up.
• So, I did what I could.

Sethu is that person. I could relate to him.

• Yes, Shakti didn’t love him.
• Yes, she married someone “better”.
• But Sethu holds no ill will.

It’s such a basic virtue—
Yet so many people lack it.

🌱 If There Were a Sequel…

If Alaipayuthey ever had a sequel, I’d want to see Sethu rewarded—
Not by marrying a “better” woman than Shakti.

But by:

• Undergoing speech therapy and becoming a motivational speaker, or
• Becoming an animal rescuer,
• Or adopting children who think the world of him.

That would be a beautiful, well-earned closure.