Saravanan Sivakumar (Tamil) popularly known as Surya (Tamil) (born on 23 July 1975), is an Indian actor in the Tamil film industry. He is the son of Tamil actor Sivakumar and is married to Jyothika, a popular Tamil actress. He is well-known for trying out off-beat roles in different films. Suriya is also the brand ambassador for large brands like Himani Navratna Oil, Emami Fair & Handsome, Pepsi, TVS and Sunfeast Biscuits.
Surya studied at PSBB and St. Bede's, Chennai. He completed his commerce graduation from Loyola College, Chennai. He was employed in a garment manufacturing company in Ambattur, Chennai. A notable point is Vijay, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Karthik Raja (both Ilayaraaja's sons), Jeevan, Vishnuvardhan and Surya were all class mates during their studies.[citation needed]Surya then ventured into the cinefield to become one of the top reigning stars of the Tamil film industry.
His father is the Tamil actor Sivakumar. He is the eldest son in the family with one younger brother actor Karthi and younger sister Brindha. He married actress Jyothika on September 11, 2006. They are expecting their first child to be born in August.
His debut film, Nerrukku Ner (1997) with Vijay was a big hit but all his succeeding films did not do well. His first reasonable success was in the movie Poovellam Kettuppar (1999). His next movie with Vijay, Friends was another big hit. But he did not get any big breaks and his career seemed to be stalled until director Bala approached him for a role in his next venture titled Nandha. This was one of Surya's best films. The film grossed Rs.50 lakhs at the box office.
Surya’s next venture was with Vikraman in the movie Unnai Ninathu and the movie was able to record good collections. This was followed by Mounam Pesiyadhe which also did decently well. Surya’s second blockbuster was Kaaka Kaaka, a movie about the life of a police officer. The film grossed almost Rs.100 million at the box office. Also Pithamagan alongside Vikram was a big hit, Surya was appreciated for being a very different character.
In the movie Perazhagan, Surya acted in two roles, one as a boxer and the other as a handicapped but a confident phone booth keeper. His role as the handicapped was praised by critics, and he received a Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance. His role in Aayitha Ezhuthu as a student leader was also favoured by the critics. His movie Chennaiyil Oru Mazhaikkalam was dropped due to financial problems.
In 2005, Surya delivered more successful films in the form of Aaru and Ghajini - afterwards he set up a production company called Studio Green which distributed the movie in the Chennai district. Ghajini was one of the most sensational hits of 2005, with Surya playing a short term memory loss patient, for which he even tonsured his head. The film was his third blockbuster and grossed over Rs.200 million at the box office. By then, trade began comparing him with long established actor , Ajith.
Surya's recent release is N. Krishna's Sillunu Oru Kaadhal. He acted opposite his real-life partner Jyothika in the film. The movie released on September 8 2006. The movie was an average grosser.
Up next, Surya has signed up to an untitled A. R. Murugadoss film and a film with Gautham Menon, Vaaranam Aayiram directed by Gautham Menon.He is doing another movie called VEL opposite ASIN since their onscreen chemistry did work out well in his blockbuster GAJINI, fans are eager to see VEL hit the theatres soon. He also dubbed Abhishek Bachchan's role in the Tamil version of Guru. Surya is also brand ambassador for various products.
