Suriya debuted in the 1997 film Nerrukku Ner directed by Vasanth and produced by Mani Ratnam.[6] In 2001, he starred in Siddique's comedy film Friends. His major break came in the form of Nandha, which was directed by Bala. Playing the role of an ex-convict who is very attached to his mother, he received a Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor.[7] His next venture was Vikraman's Unnai Ninaith
u, which was followed by Mounam Pesiyadhe directed by Ameer Sultan.His next release was a collaboration with Gautham Menon, after the success of Kaakha Kaakha, Suriya began work on Menon's biopic Vaaranam Aayiram in November 2008.[11] Playing dual roles for the third time in his career, Suriya appeared as father and son, with both characters also demanding scenes shot throughout their lives ranging from scenes as a 16-year-old to scenes as a 65-year-old. During the production of the film, Suriya described the project as "unique" and "straight from the heart", describing the physical hardships he endured during the making.[12] He lost weight and prepared a six pack for the film through an eight-month fitness regime, with the move being a trend-setter for other leading actors from South India.[13][14] The film, which also featured Simran, Sameera Reddy and Divya Spandana in prominent roles, became commercially successful at the box office upon release as well as receiving positive reviews from film critics, with Suriya's performance being lauded. A critic from Rediff labelled the film as his "magnum opus", citing that he is "perfect" and that the film for him is a "justified triumph".[15] Similarly, critics cited Suriya's performance as "outstanding" and claimed that the film "works because of his performance", whilst other reviewers claimed the film was an "out and out Suriya show".[16][17] His portrayals also fetched him several notable awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Actor, a Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor by the jury and also the Vijay Award for Best Actor for 2008.[18] The film also went on to receive a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil for 2008.[19]
Suriya at the premiere of Rakta Charitra
In 2009, Suriya's first release was K. Anand's action-thriller Ayan, which went on to become the highest grossing Tamil film of the year. With Suriya portraying the role of a smuggler, the film also featured Prabhu as his guardian and Tamannaah Bhatia as the lead actress. The film was shot extensively across Tanzania, Namibia, Malaysia and India and featured parkour stunts by Suriya, without the use of a stunt double.[20] Upon release, the film won positive reviews citing that the film was a "must watch" and Suriya's performance was yet again acclaimed and he found himself nominated for leading awards and won the Vijay Award for Entertainer of the Year.[21] The film's success saw Suriya emerge as the most profitable leading actor in Tamil films, following a hat trick of large commercial hits, with film journals suggesting that his success was due to "experiments within the commercial format" and he was successful in "avoiding being typecast".[22]
His next release was Aadhavan directed by K. In 2010, he had his 25th release with Singam, directed by Hari, in which he played the role of a police officer. The film went on to become the second highest grossing film of the year.[23] Its Telugu dubbed version, Yamudu, was also a success in Andhra Pradesh.[24] He made his Bollywood debut in Ram Gopal Varma's two-part political drama Rakta Charitra in 2010, following which he appeared in cameo roles as himself in the films Manmadhan Ambu (2010) and Avan Ivan (2011). His only release in 2011 that featured him in a starring role was A. Murugadoss's science fiction thriller 7aum Arivu. Suriya essayed dual roles in the film, as a circus artist and as the Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma, who lived in the 5th century. The film had a good opening and emerged as the third highest grossing movie of all time in Tamil behind Enthiran and Sivaji (film).[25] This movie broke previous records of his earlier movies like Ayan and Singam and has emerged as his biggest blockbuster in his career. His next project is Maatraan, which sees him collaborate with K. Anand again,[26] following which he would join hands with Hari again for the fourth time.
