Suriya and Jyotika, in conversation with THR India as cover stars for the August issue, talked about what nearly three decades in the film industry has taught them — and what it has required them to let go of. Suriya also addressed the long-standing question about Rolex, Lokesh Kanagaraj's planned sequel to Vikram.
On the subject of his learnings from 30 years in cinema, Suriya was direct about what the industry keeps demonstrating to him. "With the same trust, same belief, you do a film for almost 200 days, a year and a half... that completely gets washed out and doesn't work. Then you do a 45-day shoot, and that film becomes the year's biggest blockbuster."
The takeaway, for him, is not that there is a formula to extract from the comparison Rather, it is that the versatility of the industry requires on to constantly and unlearn things. "There's so much to unlearn and learn also. 30 years of being in the industry, I don't think I can ever really say, 'I've learnt all this and this is going to help me for the next 10 or 15 years.' Every time there's a lot of unlearning and learning."
Jyotika also shared how this is placed this alongside the pair's broader discussions about cinema today. "I feel being here for three decades, every ten years the whole craft changes. Today when I sit back and we watch a lot of OTT streaming, web series and all, we see such fine actors and such fine subconscious acting. There is so much to learn... and we debate about it at home."
Those debates, she said, go beyond just quality of the art, they are also about what is connecting with audiences and why. "There are also debates about 'Maybe this is okay, but this runs.' It's a very healthy conversation at home."
After Rolex, Suriya's character from Vikram (2022), became one of the more talked-about supporting performances in recent Tamil cinema. The next widely discussed topic became Rolex, a sequel to the film centred on the character's story.
Suriya shared that the project is contingent on Lokesh Kanagaraj's schedule, as he is currently occupied with other commitments. "I don't know what Lokesh is doing. He's already busy with Allu Arjun's film, and I think he has Vikram 2 also."
He added that he has seen Kanagaraj address the subject in interviews, but only time can tell what's in store for Rolex. "I see him in interviews saying 'Rolex is there' and 'I'm writing for Rolex'. Whenever it happens, time shall answer."
Suriya is currently awaiting the release of Vishwanath and Sons, directed by Venky Atluri, which opens in theatres on August 14.
Meanwhile, Jyotika's next project is a film for Excel Entertainment opposite Sunny Deol. Suriya is also starring in Aavesham director Jithu Madhavan's upcoming film, tentatively titled Suriya 47, which recently wrapped production with an expected release toward the end of the year.