Suriya (born 23 July 1975) is an Indian actor and film producer who works mainly in Tamil cinema. The son of the veteran actor Sivakumar, he is known for both mass action films such as Ghajini and the Singam series and for acclaimed dramas such as Soorarai Pottru, which won him the National Film Award for Best Actor, and Jai Bhim. He also runs the Agaram Foundation, which supports the education of poor students.
Quick Facts
| Birth name | Saravanan Sivakumar |
| Born | 23 July 1975, Madras (now Chennai), India |
| Age | 51 |
| Occupation | Actor, producer |
| Parents | Sivakumar, Lakshmi |
| Education | Loyola College, Chennai (B.Com.) |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse | Jyothika (m. 2006) |
| Children | 2 (Diya and Dev) |
| Sibling | Karthi (actor) |
Early Life
Suriya was born in Chennai, the elder son of the actor Sivakumar. A shy young man, he took a commerce degree from Loyola College and worked for several months in a garment export factory without telling anyone whose son he was. The director Mani Ratnam gave him the screen name “Suriya”.
Career
He made his debut in Nerrukku Ner (1997), co-starring Vijay. After several unsuccessful films, Bala’s Nandha (2001) won him the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor.
Gautham Menon’s police drama Kaakha Kaakha (2003), Pithamagan (2003), Perazhagan (2004) and A. R. Murugadoss’s Ghajini (2005), later remade in Hindi with Aamir Khan, made him a leading star. He played three ages of the same man in Vaaranam Aayiram (2008) and a tough policeman in Singam (2010) and its sequels.
In Sudha Kongara’s Soorarai Pottru (2020), based on the life of the low-cost airline founder G. R. Gopinath, he gave what many consider his best performance; it won him the National Film Award for Best Actor. He produced and starred in Jai Bhim (2021), about a lawyer fighting for a tribal woman. He made a brief but memorable appearance as Rolex in Vikram (2022) and led the fantasy film Kanguva (2024) and Retro (2025).
Personal Life
Suriya married the actress Jyothika, his co-star in seven films, in 2006. They have a daughter, Diya, and a son, Dev. His production company is 2D Entertainment. He started the Agaram Foundation in 2006.
Awards and Honours
Selected Filmography
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Suriya born?
Suriya was born on 23 July 1975 in Madras (now Chennai), India and is 51 years old.
What is Suriya’s occupation?
Occupation: Actor, producer.
Featured image: Suriya records a voice-over for the health education charity TeachAIDS, Chennai, 2013. Photo by TeachAIDS, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
