Soori’s Journey in Tamil Cinema: From Madurai to Chennai
In 1996, actor Soori made his way to Chennai, a city that has sheltered many aspiring filmmakers. When asked about his experiences in Chennai, Soori reminisces about the city’s role in his early career. "Chennai offered me opportunities, and I took on whatever jobs I could get," he says. "It taught me life, relationships, and the importance of family."
Two years later, in 1998, Soori made his acting debut in "Maru Malarchi," appearing in an uncredited role. This led to his stint as a set assistant, where he worked as a carpenter or painter on film sets. His hard work eventually paid off when he got a chance to be in the front of the camera in Suresh Krissna’s "Sangamam."
In 2009, Soori’s comedic talent was showcased in "Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu," catapulting him to stardom as a comedian. Fascinatingly, he never knew becoming a comedian was his calling. "The nature of my job was to work at a site for four days and then move on to another," he says. "It was the people around me who made me realize my sense of humor was a strength."
Decades later, Soori has transitioned into a bona fide Tamil cinema hero. After successful roles in "Viduthalai," "Kottukkaali," and "Garudan," Soori is now awaiting the release of "Maaman," a stirring family drama centered around a maternal uncle’s affection for his nephew.
Soori reveals that producer K Kumar asked director Prashanth Pandiyaraj to request him if he could narrate his through line. "I absolutely loved his web series ‘Vilangu,’ but more importantly, the way he conversed with me, and the inputs he had after listening to my story gave me the confidence that he could do a good job," he adds.
Fascinatingly, what has truly struck a chord with Soori’s second innings as an actor is his choice of characters. Despite making a strong impression as a comedian, his protagonists appear as they are, not resembling the comedian Soori we are familiar with. "That’s what I strive a lot to do," he says. "I am not sure how successful I have been at that, but the response from critics and audiences tells me that my efforts aren’t going in vain."
Soori is all the more familiar with family entertainers boasting a long ensemble cast. "Of course, but I would ask the director to let Bala utter those dialogues; though we couldn’t utilise him a lot in ‘Maaman,’ he is in the film specifically for comedy, and so it’s only right that he scores with those lines," he stresses.
As we wrap up our conversation, Soori discusses the movie adaptation of Meeran Mitheen’s novel "Ajnabi," which he and Vetri Maaran were supposed to take on before "Viduthalai." "Vetri sir still wishes to do that film," he says. "The COVID-19 pandemic spoiled our plans because ‘Ajnabi’ is set in Dubai. Are there plans to revive the project? ‘He has a lot of commitments right now, so I can’t say for sure.’"
Soori is now in a space largely protected from the constraints of commercial cinema. While he wants to take on experiments, he wouldn’t mind some commercial crowd-pleasers either. "I want all my films to have a strong story and compelling character writing. I now wish to do an action film with a good story, something like ‘Naan Mahaan Alla.’ Maybe also a film that lets me do a lot of dancing," he signs off.
"Maaman" releases in theatres this Friday.
