Starting out in the 2000s and still reigning supreme with hype-worthy projects like the fantasy actioner Kanguva. Suriya has been a prominent figure in the Tamil film industry. If you wish to have a look at the Tamil superstar’s greatest hits, here’s the ultimate watchlist of the best Suriya movies.
Where to watch Suriya’s best movies?
Prime Video offers some of Suriya’s best movies in recent times, like Jai Bhim and Soorarai Pottru. Other titles are available on Voot, ZEE5, Netflix, and Sun NXT.
What sets Suriya apart in the Tamil industry?
Born as Saravanan Sivakumar in Chennai, India, Suriya made his acting debut in 1997 with the romantic action thriller Nerukku Ner (which notably featured fellow Tamil star Thalapathy Vijay). However, it was his breakthrough role as a misunderstood social misfit in the 2001 action drama Nandha that marked the beginning of his rise to stardom.
Known for his intense emotional prowess and ability to portray a wide range of characters (often twice in the same movie), Suriya has become a beloved figure among Tamil cinema audiences. His dedication to his craft is evident in his diverse filmography, which spans across genres such as action, drama, romance, and science fiction.
How to watch Suriya’s movies by genre?
Notable films like the cop drama Kaakha Kaakha, the sci-fi martial arts flick 7Aum Arivu (with Suriya in a double role as legendary martial artist Boddhidharma and his future descendant) and the military-focused father-son drama Vaaranam Aayiram showcased his dramatic capabilities and garnered critical acclaim.
Suriya's success is not limited to regional cinema; he has also made a mark in the national film circuits. His role as a mustachioed, tough-as-nails police officer in the 2010 film Singam and its sequels established him as an action star and earned him a pan-Indian fan base. Singam inspired a Bollywood franchise of the same name with Ajay Devgn filling in for Suriya. Interestingly, the Hindi actor also acted in Suriya's role as a student leader in Yuva, a Hindi remake of the acclaimed Tamil political drama Ayitha Ezhuthu.
Another pan-Indian cult classic to stream is the neo-noir Ghajini that starred Suriya as a good-natured businessman who suffers from short-term memory loss and sets out on a blood path of vengeance after his ladylove is brutally murdered. Inspired by elements from Christopher Nolan’s Memento, Ghajini turned Suriya into an action star but with a sense of introspective maturity. Ghajini’s commercial success inspired an equally well-received Bollywood movie of the same name with Aamir Khan in the lead.
With the turn of the decade, the actor's forayed into experimental and socially relevant films. The 2016 sci-fi drama 24 continued Suriya’s tendency to play multiple characters, this time playing a trio of identical faces. Revolving around a time-traveling watch and its catastrophic consequences, the movie was a game changer for sci-fi in Tamil films.
A passionate advocate of social causes like public literacy for the underprivileged, Suriya’s commitment to impactful storytelling could further be witnessed in social dramas like the anti-caste-legal thriller Jai Bhim that featured him as Advocate Chandru, a real-life lawyer and activist who fought for lower castes in Tamil Nadu.
Why is Soorarai Pottru Suriya’s best movies?
The National Award-winning underdog tale Soorarai Pottru offered a memorable performance by Suriya as a villager who dreams of starting his own affordable low-cost airline, a Herculean task he archives after a string of personal and bureaucratic challenges. An inspiring performance inspired by the real-life story of aviation industry pioneer G Gopinath, Suriya evoked a nuanced sentimentality from his viewers. The pandemic might have prevented Soorarai Pottru from getting a widespread theatrical release but its release on Prime Video was enough to draw raves from critics and audiences alike.
