4 min readHyderabadAug 12, 2026 10:13 PM IST
Suriya, who is one of the most popular actors from the Tamil film industry, recently revealed that he entered the film industry because his family was going through a financial crisis. Suriya is currently promoting his upcoming film Vishwanath and Sons.
The conversation, shared by Sithara Entertainment, had Suriya sharing that acting was never a part of his plan, unlike his younger brother Karthi. “I never knew that I would become an actor. Karthi always wanted to be part of cinema. I found out I would be in front of the camera just five days prior, and I had no preparation. I learnt everything in front of the camera and then, eventually, it became a responsibility,” Suriya said.
Financial crisis at Suriya’s home pushed him to act
Suriya then went on to elaborate that the financial crisis at home pushed him to take up acting jobs. “There were financial issues at home, and I needed to act. I intended to earn and give my mom money at the time. But the unconditional love I kept getting from everyone, even when I faltered and made mistakes on screen, meant I had to take that responsibility seriously,” he said, describing how what began as a necessity slowly turned into a genuine passion for cinema.
Suriya was 22 when he made his debut in Vasanth’s Nerrukku Ner in 1997, produced by Mani Ratnam. Interestingly, Vasanth had earlier offered him a role in Aasai (1995), but Suriya turned it down because he had no interest in acting at that point. That role eventually went to Ajith Kumar.
Mother had taken a Rs 25,000 loan
In a 2024 interview with Pinkvilla, Suriya revealed that before working in films, he worked in the garment industry for almost three years, starting as a trainee intern earning just Rs 750 for a fortnight. His salary eventually increased to Rs 1,200 a month, and by the time he left the job, he was making around Rs 8,000. But things changed after Suriya learnt that his mother had gotten a loan of Rs 25,000, and his father, actor Sivakumar, was not aware of the same.
“I was surprised to hear this, considering my dad is an actor and we were dealing with financial issues like this,” Suriya said. “Mom said that our bank balance had never been more than one lakh or one and a half lakh, and Dad never insisted on his salary; he would just wait for it to come when it did. At that time, Dad hadn’t worked continuously for more than six months or ten months, and it made me realise what I was doing.” he exclaimed.
Also Read: Vishwanath and Sons trailer: Suriya, Mamitha Baiju promise age-gap romance and family drama
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Why Suriya stopped watching his father’s films
Suriya also shared a story from his early years that helped him build his screen identity. He recalled driving a friend to a minister’s house to deliver a wedding invitation. When his friend introduced him as Sivakumar’s son, the minister looked at him and said he resembled his father, adding that he would probably end up doing the same things on screen and they would watch it all over again. “Right after that, I stopped watching Appa’s films,” Suriya said. “So that I won’t repeat any of his mannerisms.”
Sivakumar himself, a veteran of 195 films spanning four decades in Tamil cinema, has spoken publicly about how the dynamic in the family shifted once Suriya established himself. In a past interview, Sivakumar said, “Once, I guided the family and took care of Suriya. For many years, I looked after the family, but now, he guides it. Now we are all under his guidance.”
Vishwanath and Sons releases in theatres on August 14, in Tamil and Telugu.
DISCLAIMER: This article features personal reflections and biographical accounts of early financial hardship and career growth, shared solely for informational and editorial purposes. It does not constitute professional, financial, or career guidance.
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