Suri in a scene from ‘Garudan’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Sori has seen a golden period in his career. Not only has he Kadhayin Nayagan (the protagonist of the plot) with Vetri Maaran last year vidhuthalai part 1, But many of the films he was a part of also performed well at the festival.
Viduthalai His films had special premieres at the Rotterdam Film Festival, where his Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malaidirected by Ram and co-starring Nivin Pauly and Anjali, also premiered. Another film starring Soori in the lead, Kottukali – Produced by Sivakarthikeyan and directed by PS Vinothraj (whose Koozhangal/ pebbles selected as the Indian entry for the Oscars in 2022) – premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Sori is thrilled to be attending premieres and interacting with different audiences. “It feels so satisfying to watch a film with your own people; it’s a different experience. But taking your film across borders and oceans and walking into a theatre filled with hundreds of foreigners with me and the producers is a different experience altogether. Watching them analyse our films gives me immense joy,” says Sori.
Soori | Photo credit: Thamodharan B
“In Rotterdam where Viduthalai Movies and Yezhu Kadal…premiered, people who came to the festival were surprised to see me. When some of them came to the Berlinale and saw me KottukaliThey were shocked to see me again. It is rare for Indian films to be selected for these festivals and to see that I am part of so many such films makes me happy,” he adds. “Their perspective and questions are different from those of us here. Going back to where I started and seeing where this journey has taken me feels like a dream.”
Suri believes that commercial films are equally important at this stage of his career and is hopeful that he will make commercial films in this region. Garuda. ,Viduthalai The audience has a different perception about me and the promotional material of my upcoming films can give an idea about the roles I will be offered. Garudaan He says, “It will be a differentiator between these two films because of its commercial elements.”
“My character Sokkan is torn between loyalty and justice. It’s different from what I’ve done before Viduthalai; There is a lot of action and emotion in this film too,” Soori said, explaining how the action sequences are different from the previous ones. Viduthalai, Yet realistic. “These kind of action films are new to me. I think people think I’m constantly doing action films because Viduthalai and raw feeling Kottukali Promotional material was given. But I wonder how this is possible when only one such film has been released.”
A scene from ‘Garudan’ | Photo Courtesy: Special Arrangement
Although Suri has worked in several films starring Sasikumar such as Udanpirappe, Kennedy Club, Poraali And Sundarapandian, Garudaan The audience might find it different, as the comedian-turned-actor is playing the lead role in this film. However, Soori says there is no change in the dynamics, at least not from his point of view.
“I am very proud that Shashi Anna is part of the film. He plays Aadhi while Unni Mukundan plays Karna. We couldn’t think of anyone else for Aadhi’s role,” says Soori. “He (Sasikumar) is a hero and I wondered how he would react to being approached for this project. But we thought we should give it a try and approached him through a common friend. Sasi Anna happily agreed to do the film and asked why I was nervous to approach him! Even at the shooting spot, it didn’t feel like I was playing the lead role and Anna He was in my film; it felt like I was a comedian in every other film of mine with him. Garudaan This adds a lot to the value of the film.”
Interestingly, after getting the music composed by Ilaiyaraaja ViduthalaiYuvan Shankar Raja is its music director Garudaan. “King Appa One Ulaganyagan And I got a chance to work with him. Now, I get a chance to work with his son, who has made a name for himself in the last 25 years. Over the years, many of our phone ringtones have had his tunes and I consider myself fortunate to have worked with him,” says Suri, who also points out that both those films and even the Kottukali It will have her playing the lead female role. “It is a part of the story and it is not something I am demanding (Laughs) I like that the romance isn’t overblown or oversaturated, but very practical and simple.”
When? Viduthalai Post-release, Soori spoke about how he would prefer doing comedy films. “But now, I am mostly being approached for lead roles. While I am happy, I am still open to a full-fledged comedy film, but I haven’t got that. But that’s okay and I’m sticking to the roles that I’m getting. It all depends on connecting with the audience. I believe if I do something very different from my capability, it won’t be liked by them either. I evaluate myself based on what the audience thinks of me.”
A scene from ‘Garudan’ | Photo Courtesy: Special Arrangement
It has been 25 years since Soori made his acting debut and even after playing a lead role, he prefers not to have any plans for his choice of films. “I wanted to be an actor and it happened. I never thought I would be the lead character of a film but it happened. Though what happens after that is not in my hands, I know I want to be in a better position than I am right now and for that I have to work hard,” says Soori.
We ended the conversation by asking him about his upcoming films, which festival audiences have already had the pleasure of watching.”Kottukali It is planned to come out in August, and after September, they are planning to release it Viduthalai part 2. Yezhu Kadal… There should be some stories in between and I have also selected three stories. ViduthalaiI will know which film will go on the floors next.
Garudan will release in cinemas on May 31
