Suriya recalls mother being unable to repay Rs 25,000 loan, says he worked at garment factory for Rs 1,200 a month

To gain experience, Suriya worked in a garment factory for nearly three years with a starting salary of Rs 750.

New Delhi | October 24, 2024 09:35 AM IST

4 min read

Suriya talks about how he got into the acting industry. (Photo: Suriya/Instagram)

Suriya, born as Saravanan Sivakumar, entered the film industry accidentally. Despite being actor Sivakumar’s son, Suriya worked at a garment factory to gain experience and understand how the business works, as he wanted to start a factory of his own one day. A financial situation at home forced him to face camera, and there was no turning back. In an interview, Suriya revealed what kept him glued to the profession after his unplanned decision to join the films.

In a recent interview with Pinkvilla, Suriya shared, “This is going to be a long story. I just want them (fans) to know how I feel and what it means to me. I was working in a garment industry, and for the first 15 days, I was a trainee. My salary for those 15 days was Rs 750. For the first six months, they were not aware that I was an actor’s son. My monthly salary was then Rs 1,200. I worked for nearly three years. By this time, my salary had been raised to Rs 8,000.”

The actor then recalled, “There was a situation at home. One day, while serving me breakfast, my mother told me. ‘I have borrowed Rs 25,000 and your father doesn’t know’. I was quite shocked. I was like, ‘What are you saying Ma? Dad is an actor. You can’t be borrowing Rs 25,000. What happened to our savings? What’s our bank balance?’ She said, ‘Its never been more than a lakh’.”

Speaking about his father, Suriya said, “Dad is always like that. He never asks for his salary. He waits until the makers clear his payment. It was also the time when dad wasn’t doing a lot of movies or projects. There had been a gap of nearly 10 months. When I saw my mom struggling to pay as little an amount as Rs 25,000, it hit me hard. I thought to myself, ‘What am I doing?'”

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“Until this moment, I wanted to start a factory of my own. I had thought to myself that my dad will invest at least Rs 1 crore into the factory. I was working in the factory to gain experience to start something of my own. But that one conversation with my mother changed everything”, added the actor.

Suriya recalled receiving a lot of acting offers because of his lineage. He said, “I used to get quite a lot of offers. But, I never wanted to be part of the film industry or face camera. Until five days before facing a camera, I didn’t ever think I would be doing this.”

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Looking at his fans in the audience, Suriya said, “I came to the industry for money. I entered the industry just with the intention of repaying my mother’s loan. That’s how I started my career, and that’s how I became Suriya.” He recalled, “When I did my first shot, there were thousands of people standing near the set, they had no clue who I was, yet, after my shot, I heard them hooting and clapping. Ever since, generations changed, audience changed, but I continue to receive unconditional love. So, it is for them that I kept doing films. And now, even at 49, I have done a film that requires six-pack.”

Suriya is currently gearing up for the release of his pan-India film, Kanguva. The film, also stars actors Bobby Deol and Disha Patani.

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