TSK's Kamal Haasan connect

At the press meet of Thaana Serndha Koottam (TSK), Suriya said the Censor Board appreciated director Vignesh Shivn for making a clean film. "There won't be smoking or drinking warning cards before the title," he added. 

Elaborating on why he chose TSK, the actor, who is happy to have his film released on a festival day after seven years, said, "Kamal Haasan's Sathya and Varumayin Niram Sigappu have always been my favourite films. My character in TSK will have traces of his character in those films."

Suriya feels Hari has been instrumental in his growth. "I often discuss my films with Hari sir. When I told him about Vignesh, he suggested that I work with him. I met Vignesh and he narrated the script, which he had kept aside for Sivakarthikeyan/Vijay Sethupathi." He was told the script was based on real-life incidents that happened in 1987, which was also the inspiration behind the Hindi film, Special 26. "I sat down for discussion with thinking that the story was going to be similar. But I was suprised by Vignesh's different narration. He just used those incidents as a backdrop and crafted his own version of screenplay."

On a lighter note, Suriya, added that TSK was a different experience for him as far as shooting was concerned. "I'm so used to my characters being anger-driven, that for some of the scenes in this film, I carried that same attitude. But Vignesh would say, 'Sir, your character doesn't have to be angry here.' I'd immediately change my expressions. Right from my dialogue delivery to the body language, everything was new to me!"

Suriya also congratulated Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Vishal for embarking on their respective political journeys.