The credit for keeping us all together goes to Jo: Suriya

He may have looked menacing and formidable in his tough-cop act in the Singam franchise, but to expect Suriya to traverse the realm of evil does stretch the imagination a bit. But here he is, in his latest offering 24 (releasing this Friday), all set to play the villain��� Chuffed about the way the film has shaped up, Suriya walks us through it, and while he���s at it, also tells us about his film with wifey, and his marriage mantras.Listen in...
24 is upon us soon... This film has an almost-Disney format to it. It doesn't get too preachy; it���s a film that the entire family can sit together and watch. Director Vikram Kumar is a wonderful writer. His narrative is very different from the fare we are regularly used to ��� if you���ve seen 13B, Yavarum Nalam and Manam��� The plot does not become complex or complicated, like, say, it does in Inception. But thanks to the narrative, this movie will have the audience buying into the concept. Plus, there���s the character of Athreya, who���s a villain. He���s got negative shades that some people like. At no point will the viewer feel alienated ��� Vikram has kept it very simple and straightforward.
How can you ever pass off as Athreya, the bad guy? With the help of makeup! I cover half my face, and then there���s the hairdo, too. But nowadays, it���s not enough to be bad; you have to be evil to appear convincing. It was a challenging role since I���ve never played an evil-guy role before. So, I simply went back to my childhood when I used to bully my brother Karthi (laughs). He���s said as much in interviews, about how I used to be this villain for him back in the day. I enjoyed making him cry; I like the sense of overpowering someone. So, I just had to dip into those memories to get into the skin of this character.
You are playing a triple role. How easy was it for you to transition from one role to the other? Sixty per cent of how you act is drawn from memories. And it���s about who you are. I am a son, brother, husband, father, and caretaker. You connect with certain instances and emotions. I try and imagine myself in situations and figure out how I'd have reacted and responded to them, and then bring that insight into my acting. Much of acting is about borrowing from your real-life experiences. It���s not only about facial expressions. I certainly don���t ever want to fake it.
Why did you shoot in Poland? We tried to shoot the film in Chennai, but we didn���t have all the artefacts here. We chose Poland as we wanted to shoot in a hill station. We couldn���t do so here due to government restrictions and other hassles in getting permissions, etc. So, we matched certain locations in Poland to look like some hill station in southern India. Also, we wanted to have a functioning steam engine that we could stop, make it run, and make it do whatever we wanted it to. We got all those facilities in Poland.
Do you plan to do Hollywood, and more of Bollywood films? When you act, you want to emote and think in that language. I don���t enjoy the process of doing a film in a language I am not good with. When I did Rakta Charitra, my first takes were in Tamil, then Telugu, and then in Hindi. I am not good in Hindi, and Telugu, I am still trying to pick up. So, the entire process was very mechanical and not heartfelt. My movies ��� Ghajini, Singam ��� are finding a connect there, are being remade in Hindi, and that feels good enough. Right now, I don���t feel like pushing myself to do movies in other languages. As for Hollywood, there was an offer. But I declined to do it because of certain moral and ethical values. The audience here is still very conservative...
You mean there were kissing scenes? Yes, lots of it, and some nudity, too. It���s a biopic, and now, someone else has been signed on to do it. It���s happening now.
Tell us who... You���ve got the mic on, and I am not telling you anything!
How���s it been producing a movie you���re acting in? It���s been a very enjoyable experience. For the first time, a film will be released across 300 screens in North America. This is a huge thing for a non-Rajini film! As an actor, you are limited to just being an actor on the set. I wanted to give as much as possible to my director. I wanted to be a part of the process. Everybody has their own take on how they want their movie to be made; I wanted to lend my touch to this movie. I had all the liberties, and a very good budget to play with. We had the French director Julien (Trousselier) to supervise the CG portions.
When are we seeing you and Jyotika together? You will get to hear something on that front by May end, hopefully. There are three movies, including that of Bramma���s, that are looking good, and we might be saying yes to all three. So, that is three movies that Jyotika will be doing, and one of these movies will probably have me acting with her.
For someone who never wanted to become an actor, you���ve walked a long way... Till a week before I did become one, I���d never ever thought I���d become an actor. Being the eldest in the family, I had certain responsibilities. I was working as a garment merchandiser, and earning about 8k a month. But in the early 20s, the entire garment industry was in decline. I realised I couldn���t be taking my own sweet time as to what it is that I wanted to do next. I didn���t want to use dad���s bank account and invest in something because I wasn���t sure if I���d break even. My father is an actor, but back then, I was never a stage person, much a less a camera person. I had these insecurities. And then director Vasanth sir came to my house with a film offer, and in two days��� time I was having an impromptu photo session with Mani Ratnam sir. He asked me to wear the leather jacket Mohanlal wore in Iruvar. I was asked to smoke; KV Anand sir asked me to run, and pose. The next afternoon, Mani Ratnam sir showed me the pictures, and said, ���Two-hundred per cent you can be an actor���. If Mani Ratnam sir says that, then who could have stoped me? I became a puppet in Vasanth sir���s hand��� The next five years, though, were bit of a roller-coaster ride, but I received a lot of love and support from my audience. My audience was very patient and they waited for the actor in me to evolve. I feel happy and blessed to be doing what I like.
You have a strong presence in Kerala... Some magic, I���d say. I have to thank my directors. friends... It���s been a gradual thing. Friends was made by Siddique sir, Perazhagan which was a remake, Gautham Menon, who gave me Kaakha Kaakha, gave me Vaaranam Aayiram... Harris Jayaraj for the wonderful songs. It is a combination of all those factors. Plus a lot of people who liked Jyotika started liking me. For 24, when I hear of young fans in Kerala making advance bookings, shows starting at 5am... all of it makes me feel blessed.
Suriya���s fitness mantra # As kids, our father would take us for early-morning jogs on the beach. He���d wanted us to see the red sun ��� the colour of the sun before it rises, and used to tell us about the ozone air. Thanks to the healthy genes that I have inherited, I don���t really have to work that hard to keep fit. Most of my fitness regimens have been in response to the role that I have played. Some of them, like Vaaranam Aayiram had me bulk up, and also lose weight, others like 7aum Arivu demanded I had the physique of a monk who���s a Kung Fu fighter. I managed to look convincing in Ghajini and Kaakha Kaakha because of my fitness routines.
# I���d be lying if I say I am on a regular diet every day. I am quite a foodie, and definitely have a sweet tooth. In fact, Jo always complains that I don���t put on any weight, no matter how much I eat! Also, you must understand that I need to look nice when I stand next to heroines who are half my age! Kamal sir, Appa, and the characters I play in the movies ensure I stay on course when it comes to staying fit.
# Fitness is a family affair for us. There���s nothing in Chennai that Jo has not tried, be it Zumba, yoga, fitness training, jogging. She tries everything and ropes me in, too. Our kids Dev and Diya are also into fitness. They attend a class taken by a senior athlete at MRC Nagar. We all turn up in our track pants and sneakers and sweat it out.