Published By: Nibandh Vinod
Suriya will next be seen in the big-budget film Project K. (Image: Instagram)
Suriya Turns 48: Suriya stands tall as one of the highest-paid actors in the industry. On the occasion of his 48th birthday, let’s delve into 48 fascinating facts about the pan-India star.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SURIYA: South star Suriya’s fame and fan following extend far beyond the borders of the South. He stands tall as one of the highest-paid actors in the industry, and his exceptional performances and decades of experience have earned him a widespread reputation throughout the country. On the occasion of his 48th birthday, let’s delve into 48 fascinating facts about the pan-India star, Suriya.
Happy Birthday Suriya: 48 Fascinating Facts
- The actor Suriya’s birth name is Saravanan Sivakumar.
- Suriya is a stage name he used to avoid a clash with another established actor with the same name Saravanan.
- Apart from being an actor, he is also a producer and television presenter.
- Suriya is the son of Tamil actor Shivakumar and his wife Lakshmi.
- His brother Karthi is also a South Indian film actor.
- His sister, Brindha Sivakumar, is a singer and voice artist working in Tamil films.
- He attended Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan School and St. Bede’s Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School in Chennai.
- He entered the film industry after finishing his B.COM degree from Loyola College in Chennai.
- Suriya was initially uninterested in acting and wanted to be a director as a child.
- He worked as a manager in a garment factory after graduating and before he started acting.
- Suriya made his debut in the Tamil film industry with Nerukku Ner in 1997.
- He became established with his role in the 2001 film Nandha, but his first major commercial success was Kaakha Kaakha in 2003.
- He has played diverse roles, including a conman in Pithamagan and dual role as hunchback and a man suffering from anterograde amnesia, in the 2005 blockbuster Ghajini.
- His biggest success to date is the Singham Series.
- The first part of Singham was his 25th film, released in 2010.
- The second part of Singham released in 2013 was the highest grossing film of all time.
- Many of his films were remade in Bollywood, such as Ghajini and Singham.
- Suriya made his Hindi and Telugu film debuts in Ram Gopal Varma’s gangster flick Rakta Charitra 2.
- He has also been part of the 2011 science fiction film 7aum Arivu.
- In Vikram Kumar’s breakthrough science fiction film 24, he portrayed three roles for the first time.
- He was presented the National Film Award for the best actor for Soorarai Pottru.
- He has won three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards South, a CineMAA Award, and a Vijay Award.
- He also won the Kalaimamani Awards in 2005 in the category Arts and Literature.
- He gifted his mother a saree with his first paycheck.
- Surya married the well-known South Indian actress Jyothika in 2006.
- Suriya and Jyothika first shared the screen in the 1999 film Poovellam Kettuppar.
- Suriya is the founder of the Agaram Foundation, which aids in the education of underprivileged children.
- The foundation collaborated with the Ministry of Education in Tamil Nadu to make Herova Zerova, a short commercial video that highlighted child poverty, labor, and a lack of education. Sivakumar wrote and produced the film, which also starred Vijay, Madhavan, and Jyothika.
- He did the dubbing for Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai’s film Guru.
- He named his production company 2D Entertainment after his children’s initials— Dev and Diya.
- This is jointly managed by Suriya, his brother Karthi, Jyotika and Rajsekhar Pandhan.
- Suriya’s debut film from his 2D Entertainment production firm, 36 Vayadhinile, was released in 2015.
- The most recent productions are Oh My Dog and Viruman in 2022.
- Suriya’s production has also distributed films such as Gargi and Kadugu.
- Suriya has also performed a song in his films Anjaan and Party.
- He also sang theme songs for Soorarai Pottru and Aakaasam Nee Haddhu Ra.
- In 2012, he made his television debut as a host of the Star Vijay game show Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi, the Tamil version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
- He had endorsed several brands like Pepsi, TVS Motors, Saavana Stores etc.
- He has endorsed brands alongside big Bollywood names like R Madhavan and Malaika Arora.
- In 2013, at the Edison Awards, he was presented with the award for the Best Male Endorser in South India.
- Suriya has also appeared six times in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list, which ranks Indian celebrities based on their earnings.
- He has appeared in two music videos: Spirit of Chennai in 2016 and Maatrangal Ondre Dhaan in 2017.
- Suriya’s most recent film, Etharkkum Thunindhavan, was directed by Pandiraj and produced by Kalanithi Maran under Sun Pictures.
- He also appeared in R. Madhavan’s Rocketry: The Nambi Effect as himself.
- He appeared in the Netfilx anthology Navarasa in 2021.
- Suriya has stated that he will appear in the Hindi version of Soorarai Pottru, starring Akshay Kumar.
- Suriya was the first South Indian actor to be invited to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2022.
- He will next be seen in the big-budget film Project K.