July 23, 2025
New Delhi
Actors

Suriya

Suriya

One of the biggest and most beloved superstars of Tamil cinema Suriya is an acclaimed actor, producer, and philanthropist. With films like Nandhaa (2001), Kaakha Kaakha (2003), Ghajini (2005), Singam (2010), Soorarai Pottru (2020) and Jai Bhim (2021), he proved himself over and over again. 

Early Life

Saravanan Sivakumar, professionally known as Suriya, was born on July 23, 1975, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He is the eldest son of veteran Tamil actor Sivakumar and Lakshmi. Suriya has two younger siblings: a brother, Karthi, an actor, and a sister, Brindha, a playback singer. He grew up in a film-centric family but initially showed no interest in acting. 

Suriya completed his schooling at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan School and St. Bede’s Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School in Chennai. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Loyola College, Chennai. Before entering films, he worked as a merchandising manager in a garment factory.

Early Career and Breakthrough

Suriya
Suriya. Photo Courtesy – Social Media

Suriya never planned to become an actor. He rejected an offer for Vasanth’s Aasai (1995) due to insecurities about his appearance and lack of acting skills. Director Mani Ratnam cast him in Nerukku Ner (1997) at age 22, giving him the stage name Suriya to avoid confusion with another actor, Saravanan. The film, a commercial success, marked his debut alongside Vijay. 

Early roles in films like Kaadhale Nimmadhi (1998) and Periyanna (1999) were commercial failures. His breakthrough came with Bala’s Nandhaa (2001), where he played a young man who killed his own father to protect his mother. The story tells of his struggle and his poignant fate despite his otherwise exemplary character. For his performance, he gets immense critical acclaim and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor. This role established him as a versatile performer.

In 2003 he starred in Gautham Vasudev Menon’s action blockbuster Kaakha Kaakha (2003) with Jyothika and Jeevan. In the film he played a tough police officer facing a dreadful criminal gang. Suriya delivered a nuanced performance, acing the action and emotional scenes with great conviction. The super success of the film established him as a top actor.

Suriya The Superstar

The same year, he acted in Pithamagan (2003) alongside Vikram, Laila and Sangeetha. In the film he played a kindhearted conman, Sukhi, who befriended an autistic man, Chithan (Vikram) in prison and decided to protect him. He won a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. In Mani Ratnam’s political drama Aayutha Ezhuthu along with Madhavan and Siddarth. In the film, he played a student leader loosely based on George Reddy, a scholar and student leader who was stabbed to death on Osmania University Campus in 1972. The film was simultaneously made in Hindi as Yuva, where the role was portrayed by Ajay Devgan. The same year he acted in Sasi Shanker’s Perazhagan opposite Jyothika. For his dual role as an aggressive boxer and a handicapped phone booth keeper, he gets the Filmfare Award for Best Actor—Tamil.

In A. R. Murugadoss’s Ghajini (2005), he  portraying a man with anterograde amnesia looking for revenge from a human trafficker.  Suriya’s intense performance, brutal action and physical transformation, which included tonsuring his head, made the film a massive hit.

In 2008, his dual role as father and son earned him another Filmfare Best Actor award for  Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Vaaranam Aayiram (2008). Suriya’s role as a fearless police officer in Singam (2010) was a commercial triumph. He followed it with two sequels, Singam II (2013) and Si3 (2017). In 2010 he made his Hindi film debut with Ram Gopal Verma’s Rakta Charitra 2 (2010).

Suriya in Singam
in Singam. Photo courtesy – Social Media
Suriya in Jai Bhim
in Jai Bhim. Photo Courtesy – Social Media

Later Career

Some of his other notable films include N. Krishna’s Sillunu Oru Kaadhal (2006) with Jyothika and Bhumika Chawla, Hari’s Vel (2007) with Asin, K. V. Anand’s Ayan (2009), with  Tamannaah Bhatia,  K. S. Ravikumar’s Aadhavan (2009) with Nayanthara,  AR Murugadoss’s 7 Aum Arivu (2011), with  Shruti Haasan, and K. V. Anand’s action thriller Maattrraan (2012) with Kajal Aggrawal.

Suriya saw a phase of not-so-successful films after 2014. Some of his films, like Anjaan (2014), Massu Engira Masilamani (2015),  24 (2016), Thaana Serndha Koottam (2018), NGK (2019), and Kaappaan (2019), were not that successfull.  

In Sudha Kongara’s Soorarai Pottru (2020), he portrayed Maara, inspired by Air Deccan founder G.R. Gopinath. In the film, Suriya delivered a career-defining performance, winning a National Film Award for Best Actor.

Playing a lawyer fighting for tribal justice in T. J. Gnanavel’s legal drama Jai Bhim (2021), Suriya’s performance was lauded for its social impact. The film earned international recognition.  He then starred in Pandiraj’s Etharkkum Thunindhavan (2022) with Vinay Raj and Priyanka Mohan,  Siva’s Kanguva (2024) with Bobby Deol and Disha Patani, and Karthik Subbaraj’s Retro (2025) opposite Pooja Hegde 

His Craft

Suriya is known to immerse himself in roles, often undergoing physical transformations, like tonsuring his head for Ghajini or performing acrobatic stunts without doubles in Ayan. He struggles with crying scenes, relying on glycerine, but excels in high-energy action and emotional roles. Suriya studies scripts thoroughly, engaging in story discussions and re-recording to understand characters deeply.

His ability to portray diverse roles—police officers, conmen, historical figures, and disabled characters—reflects his commitment to avoiding typecasting. Mentors like Raghuvaran encouraged him to forge his own identity, distinct from his father’s legacy. Suriya’s dedication to “experiments within the commercial format” has earned him praise for delivering relatable, larger-than-life characters.

Other Work

In 2012, he debuted as a television presenter with Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi, the Tamil version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.  He turned producer with “36 Vayadhinile” starring Jyothika, in 2015. Since then he has produced films like Ponmagal Vandhal (2020), Soorarai Pottru (2021), Raame Aandalum Raavane Aandalum (2021), Udanpirappe (2021), Jai Bhim (2021), Oh My Dog (2022), Viruman (2022), Sarfira (2024), Meiyazhagan (2024), and Retro (2025), among others.

Suriya founded the Agaram Foundation in 2008, sponsoring education for 159 underprivileged students by 2010. He also supports Sri Lankan Tamil children and campaigns like “Save The Tigers” and “REACH” for TB treatment.

Suriya has won two National Film Awards (Soorarai Pottru), six Filmfare Awards South, five Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, and a Vijay Award for Entertainer of the Year. He appeared six times on Forbes India’s Celebrity 100 list. His films Ayan (2009), Singam (2010), and Singam II (2013) were among the highest-grossing Tamil films of their years.

Personal Life

Suriya married actress Jyothika on September 11, 2006, after dating for several years. They met on the set of Poovellam Kettuppar (1999) and worked together in seven films. Their relationship grew from friendship, with Jyothika citing Suriya’s respect for women as a key factor. They have two children: daughter Diya (born 2007) and son Dev (born 2010). 

Jyothika paused her career after marriage but returned with 36 Vayadhinile (2015), produced by Suriya’s 2D Entertainment. The couple co-manages the production house, named after their children.

Suriya with wife Jyothika
with wife Jyothika. Photo Courtesy – Social Media

Suriya on IMDB

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