Tamil actor, film producer, and television presenter, Saravanan Sivakumar, better known by his stage name Suriya, was born on July 23, 1975, to veteran actor of Tamil cinema Sivakumar and Lakshmi Kumari, in Chennai. He made his debut in 1997 in the Tamil action-comedy thriller, Nerrukku Ner, but rose to fame in 2001 with his breakthrough role in Nandha, and achieved his first commercial success with the thriller Kaakha Kaakha. 

With a portfolio including films like Soorarai Pottru, Si3, Singam 2, and 7aum Arivu, the actor has cemented his success in the film industry and is one of the highest-paid actors in Tamil cinema.

About Suriya

Suriya tied the knot with actress Jyothika Sadanah, hailing from Mumbai, in 2006, after dating for several years. They had first met during the filming of Poovellam Kettupar in 1999, when Jyothika’s efforts to learn the Tamil language and her dedication to her work attracted Suriya’s attention, forming a bond between them.

Despite his father’s disapproval on grounds of religious differences, they got engaged and the rest is history! They were blessed with a daughter, Diya, and a son, Dev. Besides working on seven films together, the couple has also undertaken several philanthropic initiatives.

Some memorable quotes of Suriya

Here are some quotes by Suriya, on love and his marriage with Jyothika:

• “Often, we are enacting emotions in cinema and I felt I had become numb to emotions. But my children made me realise the joys of feeling excited, loved, being wanted and admired.”

• ‘‘My marriage to Jo has been all that I expected and much more. Jo has been a wonderful wife and makes an even greater mom to Diya.’’

• ‘‘Marriage is built on complete trust and love and surrendering yourself with no secrets. It’s about being the same person outside and inside the house. When you know each other completely you have the confidence to discuss everything without fears.’’

• “In fact, I'm not a romantic person. Jyothika would say that she has watched all my romance only on-screen and not with her.”

• “Our kids should know that humanity is more important than religion.”

Fans will see Suriya next in Kanguva, which stars the actor as a mighty and ruthless warrior. The official synopsis of the Tamil film reads, “A story that travels 500 years from 1700's to 2023 about a Hero who has to fulfil a mission left unfinished.” Gnanavel Raja of Studio Green is producing the film. Kanguva will release on October 10.