| Alias | Saravanan Sivakumar |
|---|---|
| Age | 42 years |
| Height | 5'4" |
| Weight | 72.00 Kgs |
| Occupation | Actor, Singer, Producer |
| Language Worked in | Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam |
| Spouse | Jyothika |
| Children | Diya |
| Birth Place | Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Education | Suriya attended Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan School and St. Bede's Anglo Ind |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Parents | Sivakumar, Lakshmi |
| Brothers | Karthi |
| Favourite Cuisine | Indian Cuisine |
| Favourite Color | Blue |
| City | Chennai |
Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), better known by his stage name Suriya is an Indian film actor, producer, philanthropist and television presenter, who is currently working in the Tamil film industry. He has acted in 28 films in various genres as a lead actor.
After making his debut in the acclaimed production Nerukku Ner (1997), he went on to feature in many successful films, which include Friends (2001), Nandha (2001), Mounam Pesiyadhe (2002), Pithamagan (2003), Kaakha Kaakha (2003), Perazhagan (2003), Ghajini (2005), Sillunu Oru Kaadhal (2006), , Vel (2007), Vaaranam Aayiram (2008), Ayan (2009), Aadhavan (2009), Singam (2010), 7aum Arivu (2011) and Maatraan (2012) .This film received well from critics and viewers. As of 2010,[2] he has won three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards South, establishing himself as one of the leading contemporary actors in Tamil cinema.
Suriya was earlier interested in the garment industry, where he worked at a factory for 6 months with a monthly salary of ₹8,000 (US$145.6), without revealing his identity as the son of a well-known actor. He later debuted in the 1997 film Nerrukku Ner directed by Vasanth and produced by Mani Ratnam. Actor Vijay, who would also go on to become a leading contemporary actor in Kollywood, co-starred with him in this film. In 2001, he starred in Siddique's comedy film Friends, also co-starring Vijay.
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.His next venture was Vikraman's Unnai Ninaithu, which was followed by Mounam Pesiyadhe directed by Ameer Sultan.
In 2008, Suriya began the Agaram Foundation, working to help children who drop out of school early in Tamil Nadu. With the Ministry of Education in Tamil Nadu, he created a short commercial video outlining child poverty, labour and lack of education, titled Herova? Zerova.
The film was written and produced by Sivakumar and also starred Joseph Vijay, R. Madhavan and Jyothika. Agaram has sponsored 159 underprevileged students in 2010 for their higher education in various disciplines. With the firm belief that the educated mind can not only eliminate social evils but also aid in the socio-economic upbringing of society, Agaram Foundation works towards providing appropriate learning opportunities to the rural populace who do not otherwise have access to quality education.
He is also an active participant in other philanthropic works such as "Save The Tigers" campaign, which aids in the protection and preservation of Tigers in India, and "REACH", a non-profit that cures TB patients for free using supervised medication programs.