Chennai: Actor Suriya, who lives at Adyar, has been a regular at the gym of the Leela Palace hotel. Not one to miss his workout routine, he landed up as always on the morning of September 15, only to see the gym looking a bit empty. Unmindful of the fact that the hotel management appeared to be stopping other people from using the facilities, Suriya carried on which his exercise, when Arnold Schwarzenegger walked in!
“I could barely react. I was on the treadmill, when I saw him walk in at around 9 am. I got goosebumps! I couldn’t believe that he was right there in front of me in flesh and blood. I’ve always been a fan of his,” said the actor, talking to DC about his meeting. “I walked up to him and said, ‘Welcome to Chennai’, and he laughed and thanked me,” added Suriya.
The Anjaan star was amazed at the fact that at the age of 67, after landing in the city at 3.30 am, Arnold was at the gym barely three hours later. Ramesh Babu, co-producer of I and brother of producer Aascar Ravichandran was standing there. He introduced Suriya to the Hollywood actor, and took a picture of them together. But Suriya wasn’t content with just an introduction. “My weight training and body-building was inspired by Arnold,” he said.
Schwarzenegger began weight training at the age of 15 and won the Mr. Universe title at age 20. He has remained a prominent presence in bodybuilding and has written many books and articles on the sport. Suriya who read a book written by the Hollywood star, called up his house and asked for the book to be sent over. The book, titled Total Recall, is the star’s biography, and Suriya requested Arnold to autograph it. Arnold graciously obliged, and a delighted Suriya, shared not just the picture of him and Arnold, but also the Terminator star’s autograph. Nice to see a superstar turn fanboy for a change.
