Actor Suriya turns 40 on Wednesday. Hailed as the next Rajnikanth, he is one of the those actors who has immense fan base. Suriya is a flexible actor who is always ready to do experimental films.
Before his career in films, Suriya worked at a garment exports factory for six months without revealing his identity as the son of a well-known actor.
He was initially offered the lead role by Vasanth in his film Aasai, which he rejected citing a lack of interest in an acting career. He later debuted in Vasanth's own 1997 film Nerrukku Ner, produced by Mani Ratnam when he was 22 years of age.
The stage name Suriya was bestowed to the actor by director Mani Ratnam to avoid a clash of names with established actor Saravanan. The name Suriya was frequently used for characters in Mani Ratnam films.
After his movie Nandha came in 2001, it all changed for the handsome star as his efforts in the movie paid the right dividends and put him on the path to stardom.
He was even listed 33 in Forbes India's "Celebrity 100 List" for the year 2013.
Currently, Suriya is wrapped up with the shoot of his next two films: Singam 3 and 24.