Three decades since Suriya and Jyotika made their acting debut, the power couple has starred in several loved and respected films. Now, they share with The Hollywood Reporter India a list of some of their all-time favourite films.
The first film Suriya recalls is director Bala's 1999 romance drama Sethu. "When I watched this film, I thought that if at all I was going to be an actor, then this is the kind of film I need to be in," he says, adding that he would want to be in films that make the audience realise the potential of a screen.
"Everybody might do certain films for success, name, fame or entertainment. But, suddenly there will be a director and a team that will come and change certain things and make you feel like this can also be done," he says. The actor believes that SS Rajamouli's Eega was such a film.
Suriya also mentions Lagaan. "It was one of the initial films that ran a little more than three hours, and you'd still watch it because you'd wonder, 'How did they all put this together? How did they make this film?'"
Thinking of the fourth favourite film, the actor thinks back to his 2003 cult film with Jyotika, Kaakha Kaakha. "That was the first time I got a bound script in my career. Each page was timed, and Gautham Menon [director] had given me a script book which was almost exactly made that way. I was able to visualise each shot and each scene," he recalls.
For the fifth one, Suriya picks a recent one in Dhurandhar, calling it fantastic and something that has left him with deep respect for its team.
In addition to Suriya's list of Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films, Jyotika's choices include some of the most iconic Hollywood productions such as the1965 classic The Sound of Music and James Cameron's heartfelt romance Titanic. Her other picks are her husband's Pithamagan, which she calls "extraordinary," as well as The Bridges of Madison County, which she recalls as "one of the best romances" she has ever seen.
"My most favourite is Mr. India," she states. "It's just there in our memory. We watched it all through our growing-up years. It was a magical film."
Watch the full interview on The Hollywood Reporter India’s YouTube channel.