19 hours agoAuthor: Virendra Mishra
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'Aata Majhi Satkali' made Ajay Devgan the Singham of Bollywood. On the other hand, Surya is popular by this name in the South Industry. Aamir Khan's film 'Ghajini' and Ajay Devgan's 'Singham' are remakes of Surya's Tamil film with the same title. Recently released Akshay Kumar's film 'Sarfira' is a remake of Surya's Tamil film 'Soorarai Pottru'. Surya has co-produced this film. He also has a cameo in it.
South Industry's most popular actor Surya was not interested in acting in the beginning of his career. He wanted to make a different identity from his father actor Shivkumar. He hid his identity and worked in a cloth factory at a salary of Rs 736. Today his net worth is Rs 350 crore. Surya is celebrating his 49th birthday today.
Suriya with father Sivakumar and brother Karthi
Rejected the offer of the first film
Surya was born on 23 July 1975 in Chennai. He is the son of Tamil actor Shivakumar, but he made a name for himself in the industry. He worked hard for this. His brother Karthi also works in South films. Surya had no special interest in films. When he got the first offer of the lead role in the film 'Asai' in 1995 at the age of 20, he had no interest in films and he rejected that offer. Surya wanted to make a different identity from his father. Therefore, he worked in a cloth factory at a salary of Rs 736.
did not want to become an actor
Surya did not want to become an actor. Recently, during an interview, the actor said- When I was studying, being the son of an actor, people used to ask me if I would like to work with them. However, father always said that before starting any work, get a degree and do something of your own. He always kept me grounded and told me about the struggles that even the greats had to go through.
wanted to start my own company
Surya said- My relatives were in the garment industry and it attracted me. After getting a commerce degree from Loyola, I was a merchandiser for about three years, after which it started getting a bit monotonous. I decided that I cannot do this all my life. I wanted to do something different every day, but I was not interested in acting. I needed one crore to start my own company and I could not expect this from my father.
This is how he got a break in his first film 'Nerukku Ner'
Surya said- During this time Mani Sir (Mani Ratnam) and Vasanth Sir saw me and asked me to do a photoshoot. I did the photoshoot to make them happy. They saw my pictures and said that they have 200 percent faith in me. This is how I got a break in my first film 'Nerukku Ner'. This film was produced by Mani Ratnam and directed by Vasanth.
Success after four years
After the release of the film 'Nerukku Ner' in 1997, Surya's first four years in the industry were not good. He got his biggest break in 2001 with the film 'Nanda'. In this film, he played the role of an ex-convict. This film was commercially successful and was highly praised by critics. For this film, Surya received the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor.
Also tried his hand at production and playback singing
Surya played the role of a police officer in the 2003 film 'Kaaka Kaaka'. Which received a positive response. After this film, he started being counted in the list of South superstars after films like 'Pithamagan', 'Perazhagan', 'Aaytha Ezhuthu', 'Ghajini' and 'Sillunnu Oru Kadhal'. Apart from acting, Surya has also tried his hand at production and playback singing.
These films of Surya were remade in Hindi
Aamir Khan's film 'Ghajini' and Ajay Devgan's film 'Singham' are remakes of Surya's Tamil film of the same title. Ajay Devgan and Abhishek Bachchan's film 'Yuva' is a remake of Surya's Tamil film 'Ayatha Eluthu' and John's film 'Force' is also a remake of Surya's 'Kaaka Kaaka'. Akshay Kumar has appeared in 'Sarfira', a remake of Surya's film 'Soorarai Pottru'. Surya has co-produced this film. He also has a cameo in it.
Mani Ratnam gave the name Surya
Surya's real name is Saravanan Sivakumar. The name Surya was given to him by director Mani Ratnam. Let us tell you that there is another actor named Saravanan in the Tamil industry. Mani Ratnam suggested changing the name so that there is no clash of names. Mani Ratnam is often known for naming the characters in his films as Surya.
Surya with his wife and kids
Surya is married to Jyothika
Surya married Jyothika on 11 September 2006 after dating her for several years. Surya and Jyothika worked together in films like 'Kaaka Kaaka', 'Perazhagan' and 'Sillunnu Oru Kadhal'. Jyothika stopped working in films after her marriage, then made a comeback with the 2015 film '36 Vayadhinile'. Jyothika has appeared in Hindi films like 'Shaitan' and 'Srikanth' this year. They also have two children, daughter named Diya and son named Dev.
Controversy over 'Jai Bhim'
There was a lot of controversy after the release of Surya's film 'Jai Bhim'. People of the Vanniyar community even filed a case against Surya, after which he had to make rounds of the court. Surya even received death threats. The controversy grew so much that the police had to be deployed for his security.
in Surya has been honored with awards
Surya has so far received two National Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards South, five Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. His film 'Jai Bhim' was nominated for an Oscar but could not make it to the finals.
also involved in social work
Surya is the patron of the Tamil Nadu Kidney Research Foundation. He has also acted in a short film on AIDS awareness. He is also associated with the 'Save the Tigers' campaign. He has started the Agaram Foundation, which helps educate poor children.
He will be seen in three different looks in 'Kangua'
These days Surya is in the news for his upcoming film 'Kanguva'. It is being told that Surya will be seen in three different looks in this film. The actor has made a lot of changes for his role in this film. Made on a budget of 350 crores, plans are being made to release this film worldwide. The film is set to release on 10 October 2024. Bobby Deol will be seen in the role of villain in this film.
