S. J. Surya

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S. J. Surya
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S. J. Surya
Born Selvaraj Justin Surya
(1968-07-20) 20 July 1968 (age 56)[1][2]
Sankarankovil,
Tamil Nadu
India
Occupation Actor, film director, screenwriter, producer, music composer, singer.
Years active 1978–present

S. J. Surya (born as S. Justin Selvaraj) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer who has worked in the Tamil, Telugu and Hindi film industries.

Film career

1990–2003: Early career and success

After completing his schooling near his birthplace in Vasudevanallur in South Tamil Nadu, Surya came to Chennai to complete a Physics degree at Loyola College. Despite getting an opportunity to pursue further studies at an engineering college in Madurai, he declined the offer and stayed in Chennai, with the hope of finding a breakthrough as an actor in Tamil films. In order to be financially self-dependent, he began working in hotels and as a steward, before receiving an offer to apprentice under K. Bhagyaraj.[3] He subsequently worked as an assistant director in the teams of Aasai (1995) under Vasanth and Sundara Purushan (1996) under Sabapathy, while also being seen in uncredited appearances as an actor, notably as a cock fighter in Bharathiraja's Kizhakku Cheemayile (1993).

While working in the team of Ullaasam (1997), the film's lead actor Ajith Kumar recognised Surya from their collaboration in Aasai, and accepted to listen to a script narration. Ajith, impressed with the narration, subsequently helped approach S. S. Chakravarthy to produce the film and the team began work on Vaali (1999) in late 1997. Keerthi Reddy was announced to be the lead actress before she was replaced by Simran,[4] while Surya also chose to introduce Jyothika in the film.[5] A thriller film, it told the story of a deaf and mute brother setting his eyes on his younger brother's wife, with Ajith Kumar in a dual role. The film opened to very positive reviews in May 1999 and went on to become amongst the most profitable films of the year. A reviewer from the Deccan Herald described it as "definitely worth seeing" saying it "has something for all tastes — a pleasant love angle, some suspense, complex psychological nuances, good acting, pleasing songs" while praising Ajith's performance.[6] The reviewer from Indolink.com labelled the film as "a classic in its own right", describing Surya as "a new young director to the cine field who can make Tamil Cinema be proud once again".[7] The New Indian Express mentioned the film as "outstanding" while mentioning Surya does a "good job and succeeds".[8] The film's commercial success meant that it provided a breakthrough for both Surya's and the lead actor's careers.[9][10]

After watching the première show of Vaali, producer A. M. Rathnam offered Surya an opportunity to make another film and thus Kushi, a romantic comedy featuring Vijay and Jyothika materialised.[3] Telling the story of a pair of egoistic lovers with a college backdrop, the film was shot in early 2000 across South India and New Zealand. The film opened to positive reviews from critics in May 2000 and also went on to achieve box office success. Rediff.com gave a positive verdict stating that the movie is a "neat family entertainer", praising the director's story-telling,[11] while Bizhat.com also gave the movie a positive review.[12] The Hindu featured the film as runner-up in their list of top Tamil films in 2000,[13][14] while Jyothika went on to win the Filmfare Best Actress Award in Tamil for her performance in the film.[15] The team then approached Pawan Kalyan to star in a Telugu version of the film and after a positive narration session, the actor prioritised the venture over two other films. Bhumika Chawla was added to the cast to play Jyothika's role, while a few changes were inserted to make it fit for the Telugu audiences. Pawan Kalyan had also insisted inserting few extra action sequences for the Telugu version, and despite an initial difference of opinions, Surya eventually allowed the scenes to be filmed but refused to be at the shoot when they were shot.[3] The film also titled as Kushi (2001), opened to positive reviews and went on to become the most successful Telugu film ever at release in June 2001.[16] A film critic noted Surya "has come up with another winner this time. There is no story in this film, but it runs with a neat screenplay", adding "he has done an extraordinary job as screenplay writer".[17] Surya then made a third version of the film, Khushi (2003) in Hindi, for producer Boney Kapoor, with Fardeen Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the lead roles. In comparison to the other two versions, the film received negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office, with a critic writing "plenty of Suryah´s scenes are also somewhat contrived, in the vein of those eighties family pot-boilers", adding "Suryah just cannot get effective emoting from his lead actors".[18]

2004–2006: New (2004) and acting career

Surya began pre-production work on a third story titled New in early 2001, which he would also produce. Featuring Ajith Kumar and Jyothika in the lead role, and Deva had composed ten songs for the film by June 2001.[3] After Ajith Kumar had become busy with other commitments, Surya decided to enact the lead role himself, revealing he had always wanted to be an actor. Simran signed on to play the leading female character, while Kiran and Devayani also were cast in pivotal roles. A simultaneously shot Telugu version titled Naani featuring Mahesh Babu in the lead role, with Amisha Patel, Ramya Krishnan and Devayani in supporting roles was also made. New told the tale of an 8-year-old boy who is turned into a 28-year-old man by a scientist and Surya noted that he was loosely inspired by the Hollywood film Big (1988). The film was shot in hundred days, with Surya revealing he would often stop acting in between the scenes, when he knew that his performance was not up to his expectation as a director.[19] New opened in April 2004 to mixed reviews, with a critic from The Hindu claiming that "belonging to a genre that is rare to our cinema, "New" however, gets bogged down in a mire of duets and double entenders", but hinted at potential success citing that director "seems to have hit the bull's eye."[20] The movie subsequently went on to become a blockbuster, with music composed by A. R. Rahman being labelled as one of the film's largest selling points. Naani opened the following month to mixed reviews from critics, with a reviewer noting the film suffers from "a bad script and artificialness".[21] The film's adult theme generated controversy, and post-release, women activists in the state of Tamil Nadu demanded a ban on a film after release, which they say contained obscene sex scenes. Surya responded by claiming that the sex scenes are there because the story line requires them and described his film as "fiction laced with sex and comedy".[22] In August 2005, the Madras High Court revoked the censor certificate for the film and directed the Chennai Commissioner of Police to investigate two criminal complaints registered against Surya, ruling that the film did not provide a "clean and healthy entertainment" and that it would be failing in its duty if it did not revoke the censor certificate of the film, claiming it originally attained an "A" certificate "under questionable circumstances". Surya was then arrested by city police for allegedly throwing a mobile phone at a woman censor board official in a fit of anger during the post-production of the film.[23] He was later released without charge.[24] A further case was launched in March 2006, with the Censor Board filing a complaint against Surya for using stills from scenes that were deleted from the film, with a poster which showed Surya resting on Simran’s cleavage resurfacing.[25] He was subsequently arrested for the second time before being released.[26]

He announced a film titled Isai in 2004 shortly after the release of New, when he revealed that A. R. Rahman would also collaborate for two further ventures titled Anbulla Nanbane and Aezhumazhai vs Chitra.[27] While Isai was postponed, Anbulla Nanbane developed under the title Best Friend, before the title Anbe Aaruyire (2005) was finalised.[28] Featuring himself in the lead role again, he signed up newcomer Meera Chopra for the film and rechristened her under the stage name Nila. He revealed that he was inspired to make the film to convey that young lovers must give each other space and wanted to showcase that attitudes towards relationships by the Indian youth was changing from the previous decade.[29] He also called the film a "sequel to Kushi", revealing that the film's lead actors would have similar ego clashes.[30] Like New, the film faced hurdles prior to release with the censor boards insisting on several cuts and Surya's ongoing legal tussles meant the film was delayed. The film opened to mixed reviews in September 2005, with Sify.com labelling it as "adult entertainment" though added he "tries hard to bring his character Shiva to life but has to go miles as far as dialogue delivery and voice modulation goes but has improved leaps and bound on the dancing front".[31] The film became his fourth consecutive commercial success in Tamil films, with Surya adamant on thanking his crew for helping get through the controversies, labelling that "team effort" helped them overcome the problems.[29]

Surya began pre-production work on a directorial venture, Aezhumazhai vs Chitra, a romantic comedy starring Silambarasan and Asin, in January 2005 and the team released images taken from a promotional photo shoot. However the film, which was to be produced by S. S. Chakravarthy, eventually failed to develop and those involved moved on to different ventures.[32][33] Surya then began work on a venture titled Puli, a police thriller which would feature Vijay in the lead role, and would have Navodaya Appachan as the producer. In late 2005, reports suggested that Asin would play the leading female role, while Surya developed the project alongside his commitments as an actor.[34][35] However by early 2006, Vijay dropped out of the project after Surya had refused to make alterations to the script.[36] In January 2006, Isai was reported to be back under way with either S. S. Chakravarthy or Navodaya Appachan being producer and it was suggested that the film would be about a "cunning assistant music director comes to the top".[37] Other reports had also suggested that the film told the tale of the tensions between South Indian musicians Ilaiyaraaja and A. R. Rahman. However the film failed to materialise again, and Surya postponed production work. Following the postponement of several of his projects, Surya revealed in April 2006 that he would direct and star in a venture titled Pesum Deivangal for children and family audiences, in an attempt to remove the "sleazy" image he had been associated to in films. Despite pre-production works being carried out, the film also failed to materialise.[38]

2006–present: Recent work

Following the positive reception he received on his acting with New and Anbe Aaruyire, Surya chose to take a break from directing and opted to act in films directed by other film makers. He was cast as a casanova in Tamilvannan's romantic comedy Kalvanin Kadhali (2006) opposite Nayantara, and the film garnered the industry's anticipation prior to release.[39] It eventually won average reviews and performed well at the box office, with a critic noting "Suryah is improving with each film though he hams the usual way."[40] He had two releases as an actor in 2007, with Sakthi Chidambaram's science fiction comedy Viyabari being the first release. Featuring in an ensemble cast alongside Tamannaah, Namitha and Malavika, Surya was cast as a businessman who creates a clone of himself to care for his family and playing both roles, Surya's performance was described as "outrageous, over the top and loud".[41] Similarly critics noted he is just "a limited actor who just walks through the first half effortlessly doing what he had done in his earlier films" for his performance in Thirumagan.[42] The failure of both films prompted another ongoing venture titled Pandigai to be shelved, and Surya chose to concentrate instead on directing.[43] He made a brief comeback as a lead actor in the psychological thriller Newtonin Moondram Vidhi (2009), which won good reviews but only performed averagely at the box office.[44]

In April 2007, Surya announced he would re-begin work on his directorial venture Puli, but would instead make it as a Telugu film and Pawan Kalyan would play the lead role.[45] Produced by Singanamala Ramesh, he signed on A. R. Rahman to compose the film's music, while newcomer Nikeesha Patel was selected to play the lad actress. The film took close to three years to produce and was faced delays at regular intervals.[46] The film finally was released in September 2010 and received negative reviews from critics. A reviewer from Sify.com noted "the main problem with the film is that it does not have a credible story or script", adding that Surya "has done a haphazard work in his writing. There is absolutely no consistency in characterization."[47] Another critic noted Surya "fails in the screenplay department" and the film has loopholes galore, labelling it as a "disappointment".[48] In between directorial commitments, he played guest roles in Shankar's Nanban (2012) and as a film director in the horror Pizza 2: The Villa (2013). In 2011, Surya announced that he would restart Isai and would compose music for the film himself after being recommended by A. R. Rahman, describing it as a "musical" which would explore the battle between a veteran and an emerging music composer.[49][50] In May 2012, the film's first look posters were revealed, with Sulagna Panigrahi, an Oriya television and film actress introduced in the leading role under the new name Savithri. The film was shot for more than two years, undergoing a notable change in the film's antagonist from Prakash Raj to Sathyaraj in the midst of production. Surya trained as a musician by taking lessons lasting up to ten hours for a six month stretch.[51] Isai finished post-production work in late 2014 and is ready for release.

Filmography

Year Film Credited as Role Language Notes
Director Writer Producer Music Actor
1988 Nethiadi Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Tamil Uncredited role
1993 Kizhakku Cheemayile Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Tamil Uncredited role
1995 Aasai Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Tamil Uncredited role
1999 Vaali Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Tamil Guest appearance
2000 Kushi Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Tamil Guest appearance
2001 Kushi Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Telugu Guest appearance
2003 Khushi Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Hindi Guest appearance
2004 Naani Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Math Professor Telugu Cameo appearance
New Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Vichu/Pappu Tamil
Maha Nadigan Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Himself Tamil Cameo appearance
2005 Anbe Aaruyire Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Shiva Tamil
2006 Kalvanin Kadhali Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Sathya Tamil
Dishyum Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Himself Tamil Cameo appearance
2007 Thirumagan Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Thangapandi Tamil
Vyabari Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Suryaprakash Tamil
2009 Newtonin Moondram Vidhi Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Guru Tamil
2010 Puli Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Hussain Telugu Guest appearance
2012 Nanban Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Panchavan Pariventhan Tamil Guest appearance
2013 Pizza 2: The Villa Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY The Director Tamil Guest appearance
2014 Ishq Wala Love Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Marathi 2 songs
2015 Isai Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY A. K. Shiva Tamil Also music director
2015 Vai Raja Vai Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Tamil Guest appearance
2015 Yatchan Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Tamil Guest appearance
2016 Iraivi Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Tamil Filming
2016 174 Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Tamil Filming

As playback singer

Year Film Song Music composer
2007 Vyabari "July Maadathil" Deva
2009 Newtonin Moondram Vidhi "Mudhal Murai" FM Faisal (Vinay)
2014 Isai "Puthandin muthal" S. J. Surya

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.jointscene.com/artists/Kollywood/S.J.Suryah/48
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 http://www.idlebrain.com/celeb/interview/interview_sjsurya.html
  4. ↑ http://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/People/97/Dec/kuttisp1.htm
  5. ↑ http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/59803B62E9A7D76765256940004BD6D3
  6. ↑ http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/93D12738A233F61165256941003DC8D0
  7. ↑ http://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/Reviews/articles/Vaali_162432.html
  8. ↑ http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/7205BE818081514865256941003DC8E0
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ http://www.idlebrain.com/celeb/interview/interview_amratnam.html
  17. ↑ http://www.idlebrain.com/movie/archive/mr-kushi.html
  18. ↑ http://www.planetbollywood.com/displayReview.php?id=041206121811
  19. ↑ http://www.sify.com/movies/tamil/interview.php?id=13441423&cid=2408
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ http://www.idlebrain.com/movie/archive/mr-nani.html
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ A R Rahman and his Tamil projects in future
  28. ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/mp/2005/07/30/stories/2005073001120300.htm
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 http://www.sify.com/movies/tamil/interview.php?id=13948089&cid=2408
  30. ↑ http://www.behindwoods.com/News/18-1-05/sjsurya_interview.htm
  31. ↑ http://www.sify.com/movies/ah-aah-bf-review-tamil-13937866.html
  32. ↑ http://www.indiaglitz.com/simbhu-s-future-plans-tamil-news-12695
  33. ↑ http://www.behindwoods.com/features/Slideshows/slideshows2/dropped-movies/ac.html
  34. ↑ http://www.behindwoods.com/features/News/News31/27-9-05/tamil-movies-news-sjsurya.html
  35. ↑ http://www.behindwoods.com/features/News/News39/05-12-05/tamil-movies-news-asin.html
  36. ↑ http://www.behindwoods.com/features/News/News39/12.01.06/simbu.html
  37. ↑ Tamil movies : A R Rahman to give his best for Isai
  38. ↑ http://www.sify.com/movies/boxoffice.php?id=14189096&cid=2363
  39. ↑ http://www.sify.com/entertainment/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14051979
  40. ↑ http://www.sify.com/movies/kalvanin-kathali-review-tamil-14143276.html
  41. ↑ http://www.sify.com/movies/vyabari-review-tamil-14421017.html
  42. ↑ http://www.sify.com/movies/thirumahan-review-tamil-14405632.html
  43. ↑ http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news/june-06-01/07-06-06-sj-surya.html
  44. ↑ http://www.sify.com/movies/newtonin-moondram-vidhi-review-tamil-14884791.html
  45. ↑ http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news/apr-07-01/03-04-07-s.j.surya.html
  46. ↑ http://www.sify.com/movies/komaram-puli-to-resume-after-polls-news-telugu-kkfsqDcdcaasi.html
  47. ↑ http://www.sify.com/movies/komaram-puli-is-a-big-let-down-kannada-film-review-news-national-kjltObjbjbdsi.html
  48. ↑ http://www.idlebrain.com/movie/archive/mr-komarampuli.html
  49. ↑ Sj Suryah To Make Beautiful Music! - Sj Suryah - Isai - Ar Rahman - Tamil Movie News - Behindwoods.com
  50. ↑ SJ Suryah returns - Tamil Movie News
  51. ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/took-six-months-to-learn-music-for-isai-suryah/article6388226.ece

External links

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