Decoding success and failure

As an actor and producer, the month of May looks to be very significant for Suriya. “My baby production 36 Vayadhinile, which marked the return of Jo, released recently and is receiving great response — especially from the women audiences. Then, my second venture Masss where Venkat Prabhu and I are trying out something innovative and fresh for Tamil audiences, is slated for release on May 29,” begins Suriya in a lively conversation.

Excerpts from his exclusive interview:

Teaming up with Venkat Prabhu:
Prabhu is four months younger to me, so I can’t call him ‘sir’; he is my thambi (smiles). Each time Prabhu comes out with a film — be it Chennai 28, Mankatha or Biryani — it was in a different genre. We wanted to do a film together even before Maatraan, and tried something which didn’t work out then. Then one day he came up with the plot of Masss — it had new elements that neither Prabhu nor I had experimented with before, and that excited me.

On Masss:
You can call it a supernatural thriller or a horror/ ghost film. I play dual roles; that of Masilamani (‘Masss’ for short), and of Shakthi. Masss is an orphan and a con artist — how his tricks land him in a peculiar predicament forms the crux of the story.
So far, all the films released in this genre have been mostly small-budget ones, barring a few like Chandramukhi or Kanchana. But Masss is completely mainstream! While discussing the story, we also wanted kids to enjoy the flick; so we removed certain scenes with more violence and gore, keeping in mind the family audiences. Cinematographer RD Rajasekhar is teaming up with me after Kaakha Kaakha, Ghajini and Sillunu Oru Kadhal — he’s truly added a lot of value to the project. And it goes without saying, that the Prabhu-Yuvan combo has always worked wonders!

Homework not needed
Prabhu told me specifically he didn’t want me to prepare for the role, and come as I was. His treatment of the storyline and dialogues explain what’s to be conveyed by the script perfectly! Moreover, I have seen with my own eyes what a good actor he is, as well.

Failures are no deterrent:
Life is like that, you have to go down to come up and vice-versa (laughs). We all want excitement in life, don’t we? From among the scripts I get, I attempt to experiment and give different kinds of films to audiences. Each time,  It has always been a team effort, and mostly we meet with success. Just because I fail at times, doesn’t mean I should give up.

On co-star Nayanthara:
She plays a staff nurse, and her eyes truly convey even the most extreme of emotions! You should watch her performance to realise it.

On joining Twitter:
Technology keeps growing, and every time, we have to adapt to what’s happening around us. I know I have to handle various things including hate messages and stuff like that — but it’s up to me to take it or leave it. I want to interact with genuine fans; hence it’s imperative for me to be present on a digital platform. However, I draw a clear line between private and social matters.

2D aiming to produce films for kids and families:
I want the movies produced under my banner to not be purely commercial — at present, we are also making movies for the entire family and children like 36 Vayadhinile and Haiku. I am in no worry, nor have I fixed an idea for the number of ideas to make in a year. It’s just that I strive to good films to the audience always.