25 years of Suriya: Films of nadippin nayagan to binge-watch on Amazon Prime Video

Here’s our pick of Suriya films available on Amazon Prime Video.

Stills from Rakta Charitra 2, Si-3, Kaappaan and NGK

Everybody loves Suriya—he makes both critics and the masses happy. As the actor celebrates 25 years in the film industry, we compile a list of some of his films that are available on Amazon Prime Video.

Rakta Charitra 2: Directed by Ram Gopal Varma, the sequel continues the story of power and vengeance that erupted in Rakht Charitra 1. Pratap (Vivek Oberoi), the rebel leader turned politician, consolidates his political base but is forced to retread the path of vengeance after a rival from the past, Surya Narayan Reddy (Suriya), chooses to avenge the assassination of his family. Surya swears vengeance on Pratap after his family is killed in a bomb attack, and Pratap is hellbent on annihilating his adversary, even if it means parting ways with his mentor and political veteran, Shivaji (Shatrughan Sinha).

Thematically, the drama unfolds in a familiar guns-and-gore style, with one bloody attack following another as the two protagonists, Pratap and Surya, battle for supremacy and survival. However, the violence is choreographed stylistically, the camera angles are unconventional, and the action cuts explode in slow motion, giving the killing fields of small-town India a surrealistic touch. Also, because the chopping and blasting are interspersed with a bit of drama and dialogue, the characters manage to connect with the audience this time.

Suriya made his Telugu and Hindi film debut with this one. Ratha Sarithiram which was partly dubbed and partly reshot, was released in Tamil.

Perazhagan: Kunjikoonan a Malayalam hit, was adapted into Tamil, with Suriya playing the two different roles played by Dileep in the original. Suriya's image-free disposition allowed him to play both a dashing college student Karthick and a not-so-good-looking hunch-backed Chinna, who dreams of love. Jyotika also appeared as his co-star in this film. Suriya practised a shrill voice in preparation for his role as a hunchback, and his slippers, which indicated his gait, were worn on one side. Sasi Shanker directed Perazhagan, and Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the background score and soundtrack.

Maattrraan: In an interview, Suriya stated that when he chooses a film, he ensures that it has both a commercial aspect and a slightly offbeat topic. "Even Apoorva Sagotharargal in which Kamal Hassan plays two roles, had entertainment value as well as something challenging for the actor. I consider myself fortunate to have received such scripts."

You may wonder what makes Maattrraan unique. Suriya plays Akilan and Vikilan, two conjoined twins in the film.

KV Anand said that he was inspired to make the film while flying from Bangkok. "I read about conjoined twins who married two girls and raised a family. However, Maattrraan's story has nothing in common with the twins I read about," he added.

When a team that had previously given a huge hit returned with a new venture, expectations were naturally high. The film, however, is a huge letdown, with its whimsical screenplay and rambling narration.

Pasanga 2:

Suriya's Pasanga 2 is fun in parts but otherwise feels like a long-drawn counselling session for audiences on how to treat children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and is strictly aimed at middle and upper-middle-class families.

As much as you want to applaud director Pandiraj's effort to address an important issue, which he could've done with a little more nuance, you can't help but wonder why all these filmmakers always show what we already know but rarely offer a different perspective on things.

Pasanga 2 goes a tad overboard in making a point about schools and in the process becomes too preachy, and that's where it all goes downhill. Even the scenes with Suriya, who has a long cameo, are enjoyable to watch, though there is some pretentiousness on his part.

Si-3: The third instalment of the Singam franchise, directed by Hari, feels like the leftovers from the first two parts thrown together in a hyper-strung display of brute force. The fights are so amateurishly executed that we never get to see the film's superstar hero do anything beyond the realms of plausibility. The film is full of forgettable goons and cops who act like buffoons, yelping, screaming, and dancing around the police station like tribals on a night out. Every time Suriya passes by, the two leading ladies come and go with unadorned adoration. We know Anushka Shetty, who plays Mrs Singam with a condescending devotion, is in this film because she was in the other one. But what does Shruti Haasan have to do with this? You figure!

Thaana Serndha Koottam: "Kamal Haasan's Sathya and Varumayin Niram Sivappu have always been my favourite films," Suriya said while promoting TSK, directed by Vignesh Shivn. Further, he added, his character in this one will bear resemblances to that.

Suriya recalled how the project came to be, saying he met Vignesh and narrated the script he had saved for Sivakarthikeyan/Vijay Sethupathi. He stated that the script was based on true events that occurred in 1987, which was the inspiration for the Hindi film Special 26.

"I sat down for discussion expecting the story to be along the same lines. But Vignesh's unique narration surprised me. He simply used those incidents as inspiration for his screenplay," Suriya noted.

At the box office, Thaana Serndha Koottam was a flop.

Kaappaan: Suriya has a fairly decent body of work and has played a variety of characters in his two-decade-long career. The actor, while promoting Kaappaan, admitted that he frequently finds himself drawn to 'underdog triumph' stories. Starring Mohanlal, Sayyeshaa, Arya, and Boman Irani Kaappaan, directed by KV Anand, has music by Harris Jayaraj. A Special Protection Group officer has to identify the threat to the prime minister, who he is protecting, and also the nation. And, this forms the crux.

KV Anand, in an interview, said "Kaappaan is a fictional movie about a fictional Prime Minister. It might remind you of certain real incidents, but we have not targeted any political party."

Kaappaan was Anand’s third film with Suriya, after Ayan and Maattrraan.

Speaking with Silverscreen about roping in Suriya, Anand said, “After working with him on three films, I know how much I can push him and how much I can take his work performance for granted... He's an easygoing actor with a strong work ethic. Suriya is someone I could blindly trust to 'perform' in a commercial script. Having said that, I do look outside. For Kavan I needed Vijay Sethupathi. Only Jiiva could have done Ko. Similarly, only Dhanush could have played Anegan, particularly the role of Kaali."

NGK: Politics, farmer crises, and corruption in everyday life appear to be the trend in Tamil cinema, and NGK covers all three.

It was the first time Suriya and director Selvaraghavan collaborated. However, neither is unfamiliar with the subject. Suriya portrayed a student leader-turned-politician in Maniratnam's Aaytha Ezhuthu and Selvaraghavan's critically acclaimed Pudhupettai tells the story of a gangster with political ambitions.

Suriya plays Nandha Gopalan Kumaran, a young man who is "mad about his country" and wants to "clean the system." And what better way for him to express himself than through politics? NGK on the other hand, initially believes in activism. When he is forced to enter politics, his mother refers to it as a "graveyard," and a politician reminds him of his place in the system. His wife, played by Sai Pallavi, encourages him, however.

Rakul Preet Singh also appears in the film, and she gets a stunt sequence.

NGK opened to mixed reviews with some criticising the lack of clarity in the second half of the political drama.

Recognizing the film's reception, director Selvaraghavan took to Twitter and stated that Suriya's character "has lots of hidden layers and secrets," which some have picked up on. He further stated that if one watches the film "closely," the layers are easy to spot.

Share