Guess what guys? Indian actor Surya was in Kuala Lumpur yesterday to promote his latest movie 7aam Arivu and I was there to meet him.

Okay, I wasn’t the only one who got to see him. There were many other reporters in that room, and some of them were clearly his die-hard fans.

(ps: I haven’t watched the movie but judging from its ticket sales, the movie is making blockbuster history left and right.)

*Surya*

The actor was very pleasant and enthustiastic, especially when speaking about his latest film 7aam Arivu – which is loosely based on the history of Damo the Indian Monk, who trained with the Shaolin Monks in China.

“We (the director and I) wanted to do a movie that wasn’t just an entertaining piece, but something educational as well,” he said during the press conference.

The actor, whose father Sivakumar is also a famous actor in the Tamil movie scene, went through a major transformation (physically and mentally) while shooting this film.

“I had not heard about Damo, an Indian man worshipped in China, until I signed up for this movie. The more I researched about him, the more I understood the cultural values he stood for,” he said.

He also added the younger generation shouldn’t be ignorant about Damo’s contribution to the world, thus why he feels 7aam Arivu is able to educate people on this matter.

“We can’t use the media, in this instance a movie, as a preaching tool, but we can definitely use it to send a positive message to the audience,” he said.

The movie is currently banned in Sri Lanka, but Surya said that the restriction shouldn’t be taken negatively.

“Every censor board has its own limitations.”

7aam Arivu also features Shruti Hassan, daughter of the legendary actor Kamal Hassan, and this marks the first time the duo has appeared in a movie together.

“Shruti is a very confident actress and always wanted to give her best in every scene. It was great working with her,” said Surya.

The actor is currently married to India’s former sweetheart Jyothika and they have two children together.

Don’t forget to catch the special 7aam Arivu – Surya interview on Astro Vellithirai (Channel 202) tomorrow at 8pm.