Financial struggles changed Suriya’s life; Vishwanath & Sons scene brings Kaakha Kaakha star back to a deeply personal memory

CHENNAI: Tamil actor Suriya has opened up about the unexpected circumstances that brought him into films, revealing that financial difficulties at home, rather than a childhood dream of becoming an actor, led him to the camera.

Suriya was speaking in an interview ahead of the release of Vishwanath & Sons, his upcoming film directed by Venky Atluri. The film, which also stars Mamitha Baiju, Raveena Tandon and Radhika Sarathkumar, is set to release in theatres this Friday.

During the interaction with the cast and crew, Radhika recalled Suriya's early days as an actor, describing him as extremely shy when she first knew him. She also spoke about being surprised by his transformation in Kaakha Kaakha.

Suriya responded by recalling how different his own path into cinema was from that of his brother Karthi. He said he had never imagined becoming an actor and had no plans to enter films while growing up. Karthi, on the other hand, had wanted to be part of the film industry from a young age.

Suriya said he only learnt about Karthi's interest in cinema shortly before he himself faced the camera, just five days before his first experience in front of it. With no real preparation, he stepped into the industry and gradually learnt the craft by working in front of the camera.

“There were financial difficulties at home. That is why I had to act. At that time, my goal was to earn money and give it to my mother. But even when I made mistakes in the beginning, the love I received from everyone had no limits. After receiving that love, I felt that I had to take that responsibility seriously,” Suriya said.

What began as a way to support his family eventually changed the way he looked at acting. Suriya said acting became a responsibility for him, adding that his approach towards films also changed along the way. He expressed his gratitude to the directors who gave him opportunities.

The actor also opened up about a more personal part of his journey, recalling the time he missed out on some of his daughter Diya's childhood because of his work.

“I missed out on many things when Diya was young. Because of work and travel, I could not spend time with her during the first years of her childhood. But when Dev was born, I tried my best to make sure that mistake did not happen again,” he said.

Suriya recalled that he bought his own house after Diya was born. When the family was about to enter their new home for the first time, Diya's tiny feet were the first to step inside, he said.

That memory came back to him while watching a scene in Vishwanath & Sons in which a child enters a house. Suriya said the scene reminded him of the moment from his own life.

The personal memory adds another layer to Suriya's comments about the film, which is built around family relationships and emotions.