One of the films that has hit the bull’s eye among Diwali releases in Tamil Nadu is Vel directed by Hari, starring the rising star Surya. Set against a rural backdrop the film that has a lot action, sentiment and the pretty and vivacious Asin playing the female lead has caught the eye of both the cognoscente and the hoi polloi and has been raking in the moolah both in the cities and in the semi-urban and rural pockets. The hero, Surya who has had a string of hits like Nanda, Kakka Kakka, Pitha Magan and Gajini has with Vel taken his rightful place among the top five heroes in the industry and with Kakka Kakka maker Gautam Menon having cast him in Vaaranam Aayiram which is now on the floors and carrying good reports, Surya’s stock should soar even more.

Surya is the eldest son of the veteran actor and heartthrob of yesteryear Sivakumar who is best remembered for his brilliant performances in films like Agni Saakshi, Sindhu Bhairavi and Marupakkam. And though Siva had to wait quite a while before he could establish himself with films like Rosappu Ravikaikari and Vandi Chakkaram, success to Surya almost came on a platter. When the ace director Vasanth cast him as a hero in Nerukku Ner, he strangely did not promise much and his wheatish complexion and rather ordinary looks seemed to be ill-suited for a Tamil film hero. It was director Bala fresh from the success of his maiden venture Sethu which had Vikram in the lead who gave him Nanda and the rest as they say is history.

In Nanda, Surya was cast as a toughie sidekick of a slumlord who is eventually poisoned to death by his mother. With the petite heroine Laila opposite him, Surya rippling muscles et al, proved that he could be au natural in roles that called for flexing of muscles and also histrionic displays.

It was Bala again who cast him in a delightful cameo in Pithamagan and though it was Vikram who had the author-backed role, Surya’s performance won him acclaim from all quarters.

The role of a police officer played to perfection by matinee idols like Rajnikant (Moondru Mugam), Kamal Haasan (Kurudhi Punal) and Vikram (Sami) came to Surya when Gautam Menon saddled him with it in Kakka Kakka where he also had the satisfaction of acting with his real lite lover and soon to be wife Jyothika who essayed the female lead. A rugged and violent film in the mould of Hollywood starrers like Dirty Harry, KK took the industry by storm and Surya was catapulted to centrestage and soon reached a position where he could choose his roles and sort the chaff from the wheat.

Adding another feather to his cap was the blockbuster Gajini where he played a maverick businessman with elan. The film directed by A R Murugadoss who had shown great promise in his debut venture with Vijaykant ‘Ramana’ (now being made in Hindi by the same director with Aamir Khan in the lead). Gajini offered Surya ample scope to reveal a whole range of emotions and he could excel in scenes where he is struck by amnesia but still endeavours to take his revenge on his tormentors. Gajini had a feet tapping score and with Asin playing the perfect foil to the hero, the film clicked in a big way.

Vel, his latest hit is a pot pourri of action and romance and though it faced tough competition with both Azhagiya Thamizhmagan (Vijay) and Pollathavan (Dhanush) being released at the same time. Hari’s deft direction and Surya’s machismo enabled the unit to pull off another hit.

Surya, like Vijay and Ajit, also prefers to work in one film at a time and after marriage to Jyothika and being blessed with a baby daughter, is pinning his hopes on Vaaranam. Meanwhile kid brother Kaarthi has had his maiden release Paruthi Veeran where the foreign returned (in real life) hero was cast as a rugged, bearded villager and surprisingly he pulled it off with consummate ease.

Having inherited the noble traits that endeared his father to the industry, Surya too is held in high esteem by producers and directors alike and though several upcoming actors like Vishaal, Arya and Shyaam are proving to be stiff competition, Surya with good role selection and a high confidence level is on a very good wicket.