Suriya: Vetri Maaran said he gave up smoking after watching ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’

Actor Suriya, who is courting the theatres after two years with ‘Etharkkum Thunindhavan’, says social commentary will be a part of his films, even the ones tailor-made for the fan base

At first glance, the promotional content of actor Suriya’s new film ET(Etharkkum Thunindhavan in Tamil, Evariki Thala Vanchadu in Telugu) looks like a film that is meant to appeal to his large fan base, but the actor asserts that there will be something to take away when the audiences leave the theatres: “I am 47; I feel responsible to use cinema to make people think and, if possible, trigger a change. Vetri (Maaran) told me he gave up smoking after watching Vaaranam Aayiram. I don’t want people to watch my films only for entertainment. There has to be something more,” he says, during this brief conversation in Hyderabad earlier this week.

With a warm smile, more than once he expresses his happiness at being able to travel and talk about his film, like the pre-pandemic days. After the heavy-duty Soorarai Pottru(Aakaasam Nee Haddura in Telugu) and Jai Bhim — both films streamed digitally— he is looking forward to the theatrical release of ET on March 10: “Telugu films Akhanda, Pushpa and Bheemla Nayak have given us hope that it is possible to draw the crowds back into the theatres.”

While working on Soorarai Pottru, a part of the acting process was to recall his past, when he used to drive 85 kilometres to work in a garment factory, to be able to portray the anguish and resilience of a man who is aspiring to make a mark. The script of Jai Bhim had enough emotional heft for the actor. How does he get into the mindspace of a character in a mass film like ET or the Singam franchise? “I believe in this form of entertainment too. I need to cater to different audiences and I want to do it well. If I do not believe in it, it will not look authentic on screen.”

Suriya refuses to get into the details of the underlying social commentary of ET, beyond hinting that it touches upon issues faced by women. However, he assures that there will be a few talking points such as the ingrained, everyday patriarchy: “We don’t think twice before taking women in our homes for granted, expecting them to play host, caregivers; some of this is also woven into the film.”

ET has him team up with director Pandiraj, whom he launched with his production Pasanga and the subsequent Pasanga 2. Pandiraj also directed Karthi in Kadaikutty Singam(Chinna Babu in Telugu): “Pandiraj has a way of striking a balance between commercial elements and staying true to the story.”

After the mainstream detour with ET, Suriya will begin working on his next projects with director Bala and Vetri Maaran. Pre-production work is on for Vetri Maaran’s film Vaadivasal: “There are scenes for which we will need to use robotics and at least 1000 people. We were waiting for the pandemic to taper down. We hope to start filming by June.” Probe him about Bala’s film and Suriya smiles, but refuses to give away anything.

For now, he is glad that Soorarai Pottru and Jai Bhim have appealed to more than just the Tamil-speaking audiences, thanks to the wide digital reach: “I believe that theatres will co-exist with the digital medium. It is a process of evolution. Of the eight crore population in Tamil Nadu, only an estimated 80 lakh watch films in theatres. I made my career with theatrical films, so that will continue. Moving forward, I will also make films for the digital space,” he says, adding that Jai Bhim director T J Gnanavel has been flooded with requests from different film industries for their projects. “Language and regional barriers that had begun to blur with films like Baahubali, have further blurred during the pandemic.”