Actor Suriya recently shared a surprising detail about his career in a candid interview. He revealed that his entry into the world of cinema was not driven by ambition but by necessity—to help his mother pay off a ₹25,000 loan.
Suriya’s Initial Aspirations
Although Suriya is the son of veteran actor Sivakumar, he admitted that he had never considered following in his father’s footsteps. In an interview with Pinkvilla, he opened up about how his career began. Suriya had dreams of starting his own business and building something independent. However, he ends up choosing to act as a way to settle his mother’s small but significant debt.
Rather than following his father into the film industry, Suriya originally envisioned a different path for himself. His plan was to eventually run his own company, with hopes that his father would invest ₹1 crore to help him get started. He never had acting on his radar, and it wasn’t something he saw himself doing.
Suriya’s Early Career and Family’s Financial Situation
Before his acting career began, Suriya worked in the garment industry. As a trainee, he was paid ₹750 for two weeks of work. After three years, his salary increased to ₹8,000 per month, a modest income for someone hoping to start a business. Despite these earnings, his thoughts were far from the movie sets and film scripts that would later define his career. His goal was to eventually build his own company, not to face the camera.
One day, his mother, Lakshmi, shared with him a financial burden she had kept hidden from the rest of the family. She had taken out a ₹25,000 loan, unbeknownst to his father. According to Suriya, his father wasn’t focused on earnings; he rarely pushed for his salary and accepted the financial ups and downs of his profession. At that time, his father hadn’t worked consistently for six to ten months, which put additional strain on the family’s finances. The revelation of the loan became a pivotal moment in Suriya’s life.
The Unexpected Path to Acting
Though Suriya grew up surrounded by the film industry due to his father’s career, acting never appealed to him. He often received film offers simply because he was Sivakumar’s son, but he repeatedly turned them down. That changed when Mani Ratnam’s production house persistently approached him with an offer. The timing coincided with the need to pay off his mother’s loan, and it led Suriya to accept a role in a movie reluctantly.
In the interview, he explained that his decision to act was purely driven by a desire to relieve his mother’s financial burden. He never saw himself as an actor, nor did he aspire to work in the film industry. “I came into the industry just to clear that ₹25,000 loan for my mom,” Suriya said. He wanted to give back to his mother and ensure that she wouldn’t have to worry about the debt anymore. That was how his unexpected journey as an actor began.
Suriya’s Debut in ‘Nerrukku Ner’
Suriya made his debut in the 1997 film Nerrukku Ner, a project that marked the start of his now illustrious career. The movie was directed by Vasanth and produced by Mani Ratnam. Although Suriya wasn’t the leading actor—Vijay played the primary role—he shared screen time with prominent actors like Kausalya and Simran, who played the female leads.
This marked the beginning of a career that would see Suriya rise to become one of the most respected and loved actors in the Tamil film industry. What started as a way to clear a simple family debt transformed into a lifelong profession that earned him fame and recognition far beyond his expectations.
Upcoming Project: Kanguva
Now, decades after his debut, Suriya continues to impress audiences with his versatility and dedication. He is set to play dual roles in the upcoming film Kanguva, directed by Siva. The movie, which also stars Bollywood actors Bobby Deol and Disha Patani, is slated for release on November 14. Fans eagerly await to see Suriya in this ambitious project, which promises to be another significant milestone in his career.
What began as a reluctant step into acting has now evolved into a celebrated career. Suriya, who never envisioned himself in the limelight, is today one of the most recognizable faces in Indian cinema.
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