The Enchanting Elder Son..

 





















      Actor Sivakumar should be the happiest father of two dynamic sons making an eventful career in the film industry.Not all film personalities are blessed like this during their life time.  Suriya,the elder of the two who made a modest beginning with Vasanth's Nerukku Ner, sharing the screen space with Vijay, looked exactly as his father did in films like Uyarndha Manithan, Kaavalkaaran and Kannipen. Suriya did another film four years later, with Vijay and the film 'Friends',a remake from Malayalam, offered abundant acting scope for him; he performed it with the power of emotion, meant for an excellent reach with the audience. His role in 'Periyanna' joining hands with Vijayakanth,did not boost his energy levels.However, the failure of a good start was compensated, later by a substantial range of roles and radiance in performance resulting in a series of hits.
     It was Bala's 'Nanda' that brought to light the latent stuff of brilliance in Suriya. The film showcased Suriya as a highly emotion- packed actor endowed with great ability for a poignant  performance. The sharp note of vibration perceived in his tone whenever he said 'Ma' was deeply disturbing because of  the underlying pressure of grief. Despite the negative layers wedded to the characterization of Nanda it was the intensity of the tragic story background that dominated the narration of 'Nanda'.It reflected not only Bala's  mastery over the narration but also the hidden vibe of Suriya's acting width.
   'Pidhamagan',the other movie of Bala triggered Suriya's journey on a spontaneous track with juvenile gusto and charm, to reach enchanting levels of presentation.It was a tremendous show of energy reflecting Suriya's genuine enjoyment of the role that was assigned to him.The seemingly innocent looks, and the speedy, deceitful dialogue delivery needed for the role of a peddler, the taunting tone of mischief running through out the narration made that character become a leading landmark in Suriya's acting career.Suriya's  effective role performance legitimately deserved an award along with Vikram. It was really unfortunate he missed it. What a palpable difference in role conception and how extraordinarily Suriya essayed the two characters that he did, in 'Nanda' and 'Pidhamagan'!  Bala,the expert on negativism, positively and firmly laid the road for the hero's success march with capability, dynamism and distinction.
     Later,it was A.R Murugados, who showed Suriya as a suave and highly refined business tycoon, with ravishing looks of masculine appeal in his most remembered 'Gajini'. This film was epoch- making in the  career of Suriya and placed him amazingly on the ladder of  growth.The grandiose characterization of a youth under the clutches of  memory loss caused by a brutal attack by gangsters, was not new to Tamil Cinema .But the freshness in narration and the most beautiful flashback of a high quality romance, enriched the charm of the movie besides the music of Harris Jeyaraj, haunting the ears of many, for a pretty long time. Gajini was a unique box office hit and it made the elder of the Sivakumar sons, one of the most wanted and busiest heroes in Tamil Cinema.
     Even before Gajini,Gautham Menon's Kaaka Kaaka saw Suriya in police uniform for the first time, adding pep to his smart looks.Though it had a disturbingly tragic story line,the graceful romantic element was its catchy score. Joythika soon became Suriya's pet heroine finding a place in almost half a dozen movies that include 'Poovellaam Kettuppaar','Uyirile Kalandhathu', Perazhagan and 'Sil Enru Oru Kaadhal' .The perfect pair later became life partners too. Vikraman's 'Unnai Ninaithu' with Suriya, Sneha and Laila, was a refreshing romantic narration, showing Suriya and Sneha as positive characters with a will to sacrifice anything for the sake of their true love.The softer emotions emanating from  selflessness,  were gracefully revealed by Suriya, as something naturally inherited from the histrionic genes of his father, Sivakumar.
    Gautham Menon's 'Vaaranam Aiyiram' was another movie that helped Suriya exhibit higher and subtler shades of acting in dual roles as father and son, in an intricate flow of narration.Similarly, AVM's Perazhagan with dual roles as a handsome but sobre youth and as an ugly hunch back with an inherent lenience to mischief, threw a great challenge on Suriya's way and he convincingly showed a striking difference in characterization between the two roles.However,it is in the character of the hunchback did he revel more, with the great comedy support sensibly provided by Vivek. He also gave a convincing performance in Manirathnam's 'Ayudha Ezhuthu' .Almost all the films listed here, brought out the varied acting dimensions of Suriya and sustained his image as an actor of quality and standard.
   Attempts were made to dump Suriya in type cast roles in the name of action genre.But luckily, he became conscious of the negative impact that such roles would make and began to choose roles carefully. 'Mounam Pesiayadhe' was another movie that enhanced Soorya's quality of performance. K.V.Anand's 'Ayyan 'and K.S.Ravikumar's 'Adhavan' continued the success show of Suriya with their strong fundamentals of story line and entertainment factor.Then came the super hit film 'Singam' under Hari's racy direction.Though Hari had given earlier two modest hits with Suriya, [Aaru and Vel] 'Singam',with fire, force and rage,made the lion roaring towards its victory march without a hitch. Everything about the film was commendable and Suriya's manly appeal became a true talking point.The tremendous success of the film prompted Hari to make Singam2 with most of the actors from the former and the release of the film is eagerly awaited. Most of the films of Suriya have not so far failed to carry the winning streak.
    There were of course a few failures like 'Ezhaam Arivu' and 'Ratha Charithiram'. Even K.V.Anand's 'Maatraan' did not live up to the expectation of the director or the audience.For that matter,who has given only hits and no flops? The enchanting elder son of Sivakumar has always proved to be the best bet, for many production units and directors.He keeps his loving audience closer to his side, by his endearing looks and exalting appeal, rooted firmly to a convincing performance, irrespective of the character he played. He is surely the heart throb of many of his fans.His position as an actor is like that of a constant shining star, forming part of a steadfast galaxy.That he confidently carried on a popular TV show on Vijay T.V sponsored by the Sun Feast Group under the banner 'Neengalum Vellalaam Oru Kodi'[You can also win one crore rupees]with pomp and brilliance, became another factor that demonstrated his growing potential as an all rounder and performer of great acumen,awareness and aptitude.The graphic line of progress in his career, is a clear indicator of his enchanting appeal and his inherent capacity for enthusiastic performance.
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