Please don’t compare me: Suriya

Suriya is ready to set the screen on fire this Deepavali, with Aadhavan
From Nagercoil to New York, Suriya is the new box office baron in Kollywood. He has had a hat-trick of hits in the last 20 months, with Ayan being his biggest hit till date. Taking time off his busy schedule, Suriya opened up to TOI on Aadhavan, his star status, and future projects.
It is going to be a cracker of a Deepavali for you as Aadhavan is releasing...
I���m a bit tense. A lot is riding on Aadhavan, as it is the first time KS Ravikumar sir is doing a film with me. Both of us are coming together after delivering individual superhits with Dasavatharam and Ayan creating their own benchmarks.
The story of Aadhavan in a nutshell...
I play Aadhavan, a paid assassin in Kolkata. What happens in his life is what the film is all about. I would like to describe the film as a family entertainer, that is laced with good music by Harris Jayaraj. The film also has some superbly choreographed action scenes. I jumped off the Vidyasagar bridge in Kolkata, with just an ordinary rope as a safety measure.
You always try to move away from the beaten track and do something different in each film. How���s Aadhavan going to be different?
(Laughs) Every film is a new experience for me and I try to be as innovative as possible. Here, for the first time, I appear as a 10-year-old boy in a particular scene. Though I can���t reveal how we did it, Ravikumar sir made it possible. After seeing the rushes, I think it has come out as good as Brad Pitt���s look in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
The trade says that you are a bit of Rajini and Kamal, as you walk the tight rope between mass, B and C centres and upmarket multiplex audiences.
Please don���t compare me with the masters. Their achievements have been truly magnificent. For me, all classes of audience are important. The single screen audiences in rural areas and the multiplex goers in cities are the people who made me. My next release, Hari sir���s Singam, has me playing a larger- than-life village cop. He has made it possible for me to penetrate the B and C stations with films like Aaru and Vel.
Are you playing a villain in your debut Bollywood venture, Ram Gopal Varma���s Raktha Charitra?
The film is a two-part biopic on the faction leaders of the Rayalseema area in Andhra. Vivek Oberoi is supposed to be playing the protagonist Parithala Ravi, while I play his rival Mattal Suri. It is a realistic film made in RGV style and I will be shooting for the film sometime in February next year. Once that is completed, I will be starting Murgadoss���s film.
The grapevine has it that you are learning Hindi
(Smiles) Yes, it���s true. For the last one month, I have a Hindi professor from Madurai, teaching me the language. Jo is also helping me learn Hindi. I would like to dub in my own voice for RGV���s film.