SJ Suryah Opens Up About His Journey from Assistant Director to Star Actor

Actor and filmmaker SJ Suryah has carved a unique place for himself in Tamil and Telugu cinema through his distinctive direction, expressive performances and powerful dialogue delivery. Although he entered the film industry aspiring to become an actor, he initially chose filmmaking to establish himself. His Tamil film Kushi, starring Vijay, and its Telugu version featuring Pawan Kalyan became major successes, earning him recognition as a star director. He later introduced himself as a lead actor with New, which he directed and produced. Suryah also recalled how he once approached veteran filmmaker Bhagyaraj with determination, even standing in front of his car to convince him to accept him as an apprentice. After working as an assistant director under Vasanth and Sabapathy, he made his directorial debut with Ajith Kumar’s Vaali, which became a major hit and laid the foundation for his career.

Suryah’s journey to success was marked by years of struggle. Originally from Vasudevanallur in Tamil Nadu, he left home for Chennai as a teenager, hoping to enter the film industry. Despite completing his degree, he continued pursuing film opportunities and even worked as a hotel waiter to support himself. After nearly six years without significant opportunities, he decided to establish himself as a director before returning to his dream of acting. While New brought him recognition as an actor, its Telugu remake, Naani, starring Mahesh Babu, did not perform as he had hoped. Suryah says the film’s disappointing reception still hurts, and he hopes to deliver a successful film for Mahesh Babu in the future. Known today for his versatile performances, particularly in antagonist roles, he is expected to entertain audiences again in the upcoming Jailer 2.