Suriyas birthday: Journey from garment factory worker to National Award winner

Suriya Sivakumar is one of the biggest stars in the South Indian film industry. The actor is celebrating his
47th birthday on Saturday and he started his acting career in 1997. Over the years
with his performances he has established himself as a pan-India superstar. He
is not only an actor and television presenter but also a philanthropist. 

Worked in a Garment Factory 

Although he was the son of the actor Sivakumar, he started his
career at the age of 20 by working in a garment factory. He did not even reveal to
his factory boss that he belonged to an actor’s family. He also initially
rejected a film in 1995 citing lack of interest. 

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He started his acting career with the film Nerrukku Ner in 1997.
It was a Tamil action thriller directed by Vasanth and produced by Mani Ratnam.
He bagged a role in the film just at the age of 22. Soon after his debut he struggled
hard to make a mark in the industry. Suriya said in an interview, “In the initial days, I had to face a lot of problems. Due to
lack of confidence, fighting and dancing, I used to have a lot of trouble
during scenes in films. During that time my mentor Raghuvaran helped and told
me how to stand apart from my father’s shadow.” 

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Suriya’s experiment with his roles 

Suriya has juggled many roles. He not only played dual characters
in films but also went an extra mile by playing three characters in different
time zones. He played a maverick scientist, the scientist’s carefree son, and a
ruthless villain in the film

 ‘24’. 

He also played the role of a monk in ‘7aum Arivu’. He transformed
himself to play this character and startled the audience with his extraordinary
performance. 

Suriya’s role in ‘Pithamagan’ also ushered great response among
the audience. He also received the Filmfare South Award for best supporting
actor. 

Suriya has acted in Tamil movie ‘Soorarai Pottru’ that received the
National Award for the Best Feature Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best
Background Score and the Best Screenplay at the 68th National Film Awards announced
on Friday. His last two films Soorarai Pottru and Jai Bhim also
went to the Oscars and gained international recognition.