I’m not the only hero in Kaappaan: Suriya

Dressed in denims, Suriya sports a crew cut which reminds us of his role of Major Suriya in Vaaranam Aayiram (2008). He doesn’t take much of a time to settle down and starts talking about Kaappaan, hitting the screens on Friday. Even before we could ask him, he begins, “My role is that of a person in the Special Protection Group (SPG), who acts as a shield for the country’s Prime Minister. They are not employed by the Defence Ministry but the Home Ministry. I always look to do something new with each of my film and this role is something that I felt had unique layers to it.” The actor-producer says that playing the role gave him an insight into quite a few things. “I trained at the NSG camp in Manesar for three days for this role. The life there had a huge impact on me. Being an SPG officer, the first thing is you don’t take on the assailant. They shield the leader and later sense the situation before they counter-attack. They are our unsung heroes. The kind of relationship they share with their leader is not only professional but also emotional. That is what you will see in Kaappaan,” he explains.

Talking about the film, Suriya says that he isn’t the only hero of the film. “KV Anand has put together many interesting stories into one in Kaappaan. There is Mohanlal, Arya, Sayyeshaa, Samuthirakani and Thalaivasal Vijay playing pivotal roles. They are not mere touch-and-go characters. Each of these characters will provide the film with an intriguing twist and bring about a change in the storyline. The fast-paced action will also throw light on a lot of things that happen in the Prime Minister’s Office,” clarifies the actor.

According to Suriya, Kaappaan is loosely based on real-life incidents that were churned into a fiction by director KV Anand.

“Anand had come across several stories during his stint as a photojournalist and one such story was about SPG. Any fiction that has some reality to it has always struck the right chord with the audience,” Suriya adds.

Of late, the actor has been producing and acting in scripts that have socially-relevant message in it. “It is a subconscious responsibility that comes along with me as an actor. Several people have spoken about the education system in the past. However, when I did, I am glad that it got the right kind of attention it deserved. And running an NGO like Agaram for education, it has been my forte,” he concludes.