Playing a teenager in Soorarai was a sweet challenge: Suriya

Sporting long hair and stubble, Suriya appears on call along with director Sudha Kongara as their Soorarai Pottru is all set to premiere on Amazon Prime on November 12. The film is loosely based on the life of GR Gopinath, the founder of Air Deccan. “He made flying possible even for villagers for whom travelling was a far-fetched dream. His airlines not only sold tickets for Rs 1 but also emerged successful when there was stiff competition in the aviation industry. I wanted to be a part of the script and also work with Sudha Kongara,” he begins. Sudha, who usually wears black shirts, was seen in a pink shirt. “Is it a new shirt that you are wearing Sudha?” Suriya asks her. “I almost wore a black shirt and then I changed my mind and chose this,” she smiles. The actor tells us that Sudha is his ‘rakhi sister’. “We make it a point to meet for Rakshabandhan every year. I saw her first while shooting on the sets of Aayudha Ezhuthu and she used to wear a black shirt while watching the monitor. Since Iruddhi Suttru’s release, I wanted to work with her,” he mentions.

Suriya also tells us about his first flight experience from Chennai to Coimbatore. “I travelled to my hometown Kasigoundanpudur for a wedding of my relative. She was five to six years older than me and I had crush on her. I was frowning on her wedding day and wasn’t letting the groom sit close to her,” he laughs. He also recalls flying with his dad Sivakumar to Singapore. “That was the time where dad and I spoke our hearts out on my career. He asked if I would want to learn things that could hone my acting skills as my contemporaries were training harder. At that time, I wasn’t passionate about acting and was contemplating on a lot of things. I am happy where I am today. Also, on that flight, the air hostess served alcohol and dad asked if I would want to try wine. That is something memorable,” he reveals.

Back to Soorarai Pottru, Suriya will be playing a teenager yet again after Vaaranam Aayiram. “To play an 18-year-old after 12 years and at 45 is quite an ordeal. But it was a sweet challenge. We had no break in between and I had to shoot for the portions the very next day after I shot with a beard and short hair. I had to work out much harder. It is not that I had to go from 40 per cent to 100 per cent at the gym. I needed to push an extra 20 per cent to achieve the results. We had a look test to check if anti-aging CGIs have to be used. But thankfully, Sudha was convinced,” he concludes with a smile.