Actor Kayadu Lohar, who is currently shooting alongside Suriya in TJ Gnanavel's upcoming film, says working with the actor has been a learning experience for her. The film, tentatively referred to as Suriya 48, marks Gnanavel and Suriya's reunion after Jai Bhim and is backed by Hombale Films. Kayadu is paired with Suriya in the film, though details about their characters and the story have been kept under wraps.

In a recent interview with Idle Brain Live, Kayadu was asked about working with the director and whether the film has a socially relevant angle, similar to Gnanavel's previous work. While she refrained from revealing details about the project, she said that the filmmaker's approach to cinema is already well known.

Speaking about Suriya, Kayadu described the actor as a “school of acting” and said she could sense the impact of his years of experience while working with him. “He comes with so much experience that I could sense that on set. So many years of experience, you can see it in the body. It flows,” she said.

Rather than approaching the experience merely as a co-star, Kayadu said she found herself observing Suriya's process on set. She noted that she watched how he performed and paid attention to “the notes that he takes or brings in”, treating the experience as an opportunity to learn from an experienced actor.

She also recalled a conversation with Suriya about how the working environment for actors has changed over the years. According to Kayadu, Suriya told her that actors today have greater freedom to discuss scenes with directors, suggest changes and explore their performances. Earlier in his career, however, the relationship between actors and directors was more rigid.

“He was telling me that at his point of time, when he was shooting, the directors and actors were very rigid. This is what I want, not even one single blink, and that's what we have to follow,” Kayadu recalled. She added that the process has since become more collaborative, giving actors greater room to experiment.

Kayadu said this freedom allows actors to explore their performances more freely. For her, working alongside Suriya on Suriya 48 has therefore been both a performance experience and an opportunity to observe how an experienced actor approaches his craft.