Actor Suriya, known today for his onscreen charm and agile dance moves, took his time to master the art of dancing for the camera. In a recently resurfaced video from a Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI) event, Suriya admitted that his dancing skills were far from impressive at the start of his career. In his trademark self-deprecating style, he poked fun at his early performances and praised ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay for setting the bar high with his fluid and confident dance moves.
In his speech, Suriya poked fun at his own dancing skills in his early days. He said, “I want to thank Raju Sundaram master first. There was a review in one of the newspapers that said that it would be great if Suriya didn’t dance in his movies. He is trying so hard to make it look convincing, and it is difficult for viewers to watch and for him to dance. It would be better if he stopped trying to dance and did some other types of characters.” Suriya was also quick to acknowledge the choreographer who helped him improve his dancing skill. “I will have to thank Raju Master and the members of his group, called Kishore and Jayanthi akka. If I am dancing better now, it is because of them. It is their greatness. Kishore was the one who gave me confidence.”
Suriya went on to praise his colleague and friend Vijay for his exceptional dancing skills. He said, “Every time I see him dance, I feel jealous. Look at Vijay sitting here wearing glasses and looking all innocent. I have felt so much jealousy and often wondered what kind of human being he is. How is he able to dance like this? I thought of him as a special person in that sense.” Vijay appeared visibly shy at the compliments, smiling at his friend from the audience. The two were batchmates at Loyola College, Chennai, and share a friendship that goes back decades.
Suriya concluded by saying, “Dancing and getting each step right is one thing. But dancing effortlessly is an entirely different art form. Vijay, hats off. Many good masters train you. But it’s difficult to dance just like that. You can know that this particular song was choreographed by this master from Vijay’s body language alone. He will have one style for Raju Master, one style for Brinda master, and one style for Cool Jayanth. His body language keeps on changing. I am thankful to all dance masters and assistants who have helped me become a better dancer.”
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Known for his swift footwork and infectious energy, Vijay has delivered several memorable dance numbers over the years, including “Allu Allu” (Bhagavathi), “Aal Thotta Boopathy” (Youth), “Arabic Kuthu” (Beast), and the recent hit “Naan Ready” (Leo).
