Malayalam actor Suraj Venjaramoodu, who is making his Tamil debut with ‘Veera Dheera Sooran’, recently shared an unforgettable memory of meeting Vikram at a Singapore airport. During a promotional interview, Suraj recalled how he was approached by a fan who requested a photo with him—only to discover moments later that it was none other than Vikram himself.

Suraj’s unexpected encounter with Vikram

“I was sitting there when someone approached me, saying, ‘I am a big fan of yours. Can I take a photo with you?’ Only while we were clicking the picture did I realise it was Vikram sir himself. Since then, I’ve always wished to act alongside him,” Suraj revealed, leaving everyone in the interview in awe.

Suraj also expressed his deep admiration for Vikram, stating that the Tamil superstar has been one of his biggest inspirations. He fondly recalled that the first time he ever took a picture with a celebrity was also with Vikram, back when the actor was shooting for ‘Maja’.

My father was in the military, my brother was in the military, and I ended up doing mimicry

Apart from sharing his admiration for Vikram, Suraj had the ‘Veera Dheera Sooran’ crew and co-star Vikram in splits during the interview. A video of Vikram struggling to contain his laughter at Suraj’s jokes has since gone viral on social media, with one particular remark stealing the show.

While reminiscing about his journey into films, Suraj playfully quipped, “My father was in the military, my brother was in the military, and I ended up doing mimicry.” His humorous remark had Vikram bursting into laughter, who jokingly responded that now all of them had become the audience.

Suraj also opened up about his early struggles and the challenges he faced before entering cinema. Though his family wanted him to join the military like his father and brother, he aspired to become an actor. However, a severe hand injury from an accident forced him to give up his dream temporarily.

It was only after watching Vikram’s interviews and learning about the actor’s persistence despite setbacks that Suraj regained the courage to pursue his passion. “After watching Vikram’s interviews and learning about his persistence despite setbacks, I regained the courage to pursue my dream,” he said.

How Suraj landed ‘Veera Dheera Sooran’

Directed by SU Arun Kumar, ‘Veera Dheera Sooran’ marks Suraj’s debut in Tamil cinema. Interestingly, the actor had been trying to reach out to the director but was caught off guard when he received an unexpected call from producer Shibu Thameens.

“It was producer Shibu sir who called me. He said, ‘We want to narrate a story to you. This is a film starring Vikram sir, which I am producing.’ I was shocked to hear that it was a Vikram film. I immediately asked who the director was, and when he said it was Arun Kumar, I was stunned. I was literally about to call him myself,” Suraj recalled.

However, when Arun Kumar narrated the script to him in Tamil, Suraj admitted he didn’t understand much but kept saying “Okay” to everything. It wasn’t until two days before the shoot that he finally understood the story and his character.

I tried to slowly slip away and run away from the place

Suraj also spoke about his struggle with Tamil dialogues, sharing a hilarious moment from the film’s shoot. On the first day, he had only a few lines, which he confidently delivered. But the second day brought a surprise.

“They handed me an entire stack of papers filled with dialogues. I was shocked and asked, ‘Do I have to say all of this?’ I even joked that they had given me the entire script,” he said, drawing laughter from the interview panel.

The real shock came when the director informed him that the lengthy dialogue was for a single shot. “What! In a single shot? I could feel three heart attacks all at the same time when I heard him say that. I tried to slowly slip away and run away from the place. But I couldn’t, as it was a forest that we were shooting in,” he joked.

Despite the initial hurdles, Suraj credited the film’s crew for making him feel comfortable. The sequences were eventually shot in bits to ease the process.

‘Veera Dheera Sooran’ features an ensemble cast, including Vikram, S.J. Suryah, Suraj Venjaramoodu, and Dushara Vijayan. Interestingly, the second part of the film will be released first, hitting theatres on March 27.