People are acquainted with the humanitarian side of actor Suriya, and his relentless work for various causes, including education — this came to light again at the audio launch of his upcoming sci-fi thriller 24, when the Singam star raised concern over the increasing number of children committing suicide due to exam fear. The actor said that his heart bled after learning that over 20 Plus-2 students committed suicide after submitting their answer sheets, not even waiting for the results to be announced! “We share our time on earth. Make use of it in a better manner,” he appealed to students amidst thunderous applause.
Recalling his younger days, Suriya said, “I was naive whilst I was in school and college. I didn’t know what I wanted, or what life had in store. Everybody has a weakness, but don’t be in a hurry and think of ending your life — it is precious! Wait for opportunities to come along.” He continues, “I am here today because of you (pointing to the fans). If my films are good, appreciate and encourage them. If they are bad, please reject them. Only then will I chase good scripts!”
About his director, Suriya said, “Vikram Kumar’s script was amazing. After listening to it for four-and-half hours, I stood up and clapped!” Explaining his apprehension when approaching Rahman, he grins, “Everyone suggested that a script of this magnitude could be elevated only with a maestro like AR Rahman. I also knew that he would be the apt choice. But I did not know how to approach him. I just sent a text to Rahman sir asking him for a time to meet — and he responded saying ‘yeah’ and gave us half an hour. Imagine such a lengthy script having to be narrated in just 30 mins! When we arrived, it was Ramzan fasting time. In the middle of the narration, it was time for ARR to break his fast for the day. He was getting calls from home, and as he left, he asked us to wait. Much to our astonishment, he came back and heard the rest of the script for six hours!”
“It was Rahman’s text message saying, ‘It’s going to be an ambitious project and let’s work together,’ which gave me a lot of confidence to go ahead with this venture,” Suriya adds. Heaping laurels on ARR, he goes on, “We seek only trivial things from God. But God will give us something big if He wishes to. Similarly, we cannot ask for music from Rahman sir — he will fulfill our dreams, on his own accord. I am an ignorant person and like Vairamuthu sir said, I wish to keep intelligent people like Rahman sir around me. He is humility personified. I have learnt a lot from him.” On his co-stars Samantha (who was conspicuous by her absence) and Nithya Menen, Suriya quipped — “Samantha has gained more knowledge with each of her films, and here she looks more gracious than her previous ones. Nithya is incredibly talented, and I have a lot of respect for her work.”
