Suriya turns 50: A look at the film that brought out the performer in the actor

Tamil star Suriya is celebrating his 50th birthday on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. Over the years, Suriya has enthralled Tamil audiences with countless performances, from films like Pithamagan and Ghajini to 24 and Soorarai Pottru. However, true ‘Anbaana’ fans of Suriya would know that he wasn’t always a confident performer.

In his initial days, Suriya struggled as an actor. He has often stated that he was a reluctant actor who had to strive hard to stay afloat when his father, veteran actor Sivakumar, gave him his first break with 1997’s Nerukku Ner, directed by Vasanth. Suriya then had to learn to stand on his own feet. In a 2004 chat with actor Jyotika — then his co-star, presently his wife — for The Hindu, Suriya called 2001’s Nandhaa as the film that transitioned him into a self-assured performer. “The film made me realise you can be on the right track, only if you keep yourself away from the beaten track. In offbeat roles, there is tremendous scope for acting. Director Bala has also played a great role in my transformation. As friend and guide, he has effected salutary changes in my ‘real’ life as well.”

The actor opened up even more about Nandhaa recently, in an interview with music composer Santhosh Narayanan and director Karthik Subbaraj after the release of their film Retro. Everything happened with Nandhaa, said the star. “Because I was a boy working in the garment industry, with no idea about acting. I was brought into the film industry, and I acted in Nerukku Ner. Vasanth sir gave me all the support, but once I came out of the film, I didn’t know how to stand on my own feet as an actor. I didn’t know how to perceive the scene paper, stand, act, walk, blink, or punctuate the dialogues. And then Friends was one film where I really liked the atmosphere. I enjoyed working with Siddique sir. I tried to be as true as possible, but nobody taught me the philosophy of acting or showed me the ropes of it.”

CLICK HERE TO READ SURIYA’S INTERVIEW TO THE HINDU IN 2002

But director Bala was different. “He would dive into your mind. There wouldn’t be any burden on you. He would explain the scene and the emotions in text. Sometimes he would break down while explaining the scenes, and I would wish to be as transparent as him. I used to think, ‘Oh, he’s doing so much for my sake; he’s even acting and showing me how to do it. He is living the moment, but shouldn’t I be doing it? How am I going to pull it off in front of the camera?’ So many things were going through my head,” said Suriya. “I started enjoying the craft since Nandhaa. Only Nandhaa gave me the foundation to be Anbuselvan or be Ghajini. Pithamagan made me do Ayan,” he added.

Nandhaa, which also featured Laila, Rajkiran, Rajashree, Saravanan and Karunas, told the story of a young man who struggles to fit into society after serving a term for the murder of his father. Heartfelt and tragic, Nandhaa, Bala’s sophomore, catapulted the filmmaker to fame. The film famously brought out a new shade to an actor who hadn’t done such gritty, realistic roles until then. Tamil cinema fans often look back at Nandhaa for the comedy sequences featuring Suriya, Karunas and Laila, and for Yuvan Shankar Raja’s evergreen soundtrack.

Bala and Suriya later reunited for Pithamagan, which Suriya said was even more difficult than Nandhaa since it was a character far unlike his real self.