Suriya has opened up about his equation with his younger brother Karthi, saying there has never been any sense of rivalry between them despite both carving out successful careers in Tamil cinema. Speaking at the trailer launch of Sardar 2, the actor said Karthi has always followed his own path and approached acting with a level of dedication that continues to surprise him.

According to Suriya, Karthi’s relationship with cinema goes beyond simply being an actor. He said his brother constantly thinks about how he can live up to the affection he receives from audiences and remain truthful to the characters he takes on. Suriya also joked that people often approach him to tell him how much they admire Karthi, sometimes without even mentioning his own work.

It was, however, Karthi’s transformation for Paruthiveeran that truly left Suriya stunned. Recalling the period when Karthi returned from the US carrying a huge packet of chips and would casually snack beside his sofa, Suriya said he was amazed by how radically his brother changed himself for Ameer’s 2007 film. “I was completely blown away by that dedication,” he said, recalling how Karthi went through the physical demands of the role, from rolling around in the dirt to performing fights and dances. “I was like, ‘Hey, you were right beside me!’”

Suriya added that Paruthiveeran became a kind of crash course for Karthi as an actor, but he did not let the opportunity pass him by. The film marked Karthi’s acting debut and earned him widespread acclaim for his portrayal of Paruthiveeran, setting the tone for the varied roles he would take up later in his career.

Meanwhile, Sardar 2, directed by PS Mithran, is the sequel to the 2022 spy thriller Sardar. The film features Karthi in dual roles, reprising his characters as Chandra Bose aka Sardar and his son Vijay Prakash. The sequel moves between the past and present, with Sardar’s story unfolding through flashbacks while Vijay’s narrative takes place in the present.

SJ Suryah plays the antagonist in the film, with Malavika Mohanan, Ashika Ranganath, Rajisha Vijayan, Yogi Babu, Achyuth Kumar and Balaji Sakthivel also part of the cast. Produced by S Lakshman Kumar and Ishan Saksena under Prince Pictures and Ivy Entertainment, Sardar 2 is scheduled to release in theatres on September 10.