[S.T.D.]

[tscii]
His debut film, Nerrukku Ner (1997) with Vijay was a big hit but all his succeeding films did not do well. His first reasonable success was in the movie with Vijay, Friends. But he did not get any big breaks and his career seemed to be stalled until director Bala approached him for a role in his next venture titled Nandha, which eventually became his first critically acclaimed film and earning him a Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor.

Surya’s next venture was with Vikraman in the movie Unnai Ninaithu and the movie was able to record good collections. This was followed by Mounam Pesiyadhe which also did decently well.

Surya’s second blockbuster was Kaaka Kaaka, a movie about the life of a police officer. The film grossed almost 100 million at the box office. This movie raised the profile of Surya tremendously and made him a huge star overnight. This was also the movie that fueled intense speculation of his relationship with fellow co-star Jyothika. This was partly due to the strength of the screen chemistry shared by both of them on screen.

Also Pithamagan alongside Vikram was a big hit, in which Surya was appreciated for playing a happy-go-lucky village guy and thus proving his skills as a comedian too.

In the movie Perazhagan, Surya acted in two roles, one as a boxer and the other as a handicapped but a confident phone booth keeper. His role as the handicapped was praised by critics, and he received a Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance.

His role in Aayitha Ezhuthu as a student leader was also favoured by the critics.

In 2005, Surya delivered more successful films in the form of Aaru and Ghajini - afterwards he set up a production company called Studio Green which distributed the movie in the Chennai district. Ghajini was one of the most sensational hits of 2005, with Surya playing a short term memory loss patient, for which he even tonsured his head.

Surya's 2006 release was N. Krishna's Sillunu Oru Kaadhal. He acted opposite his real-life partner Jyothika in the film. The film was an average grosser.The songs from the movie became a bigger hit than the movie itself. In 2007, Surya's solitary release was Vel.

His latest film was the critically acclaimed Vaaranam Aayiram, another venture with Gautham Menon, released on November 14, 2008 and became a blockbuster receiving a large reception.

Surya's next film is Ayan directed by K. V. Anand, expected to be released in 2009.

Following Ayan, Surya will be casted in Aadhavan directed by K. S. Ravikumar, followed by Singam directed by Hari, who directs Surya for the third time. Surya will also be acting in a film titled Mugamoodi, which is expected to be a superhero film.