Screams of ‘Suriya! We love you!’ rent the air followed by ‘Show us your six packs!’ The screaming women, ecstatic kids and eager men are all part of the 500 odd cinema goers in San Jose, who were treated to a surprise visit by Suriya on Friday night.
Talking to Expresso from San Jose, Mohan Ruthirakotti, co-founder Bharat Creations, the leading distributor of 'Vaaranam Aayiram' in the US says, “The crowds went crazy at the two cinema halls Suriya visited. The response the film and Suriya’s visit has got has been phenomenal.”
Whirlwind visit
Bharat Creations premiered 'Vaaranam Aayiram' in the US on November 13, across 21 centres with 18 prints. Bharat Creations holds the films’ theatrical rights for the entire US, controlling over 70 percent of the Indian theatres there. The company has released films like 'Chandramukhi', 'Anniyan', 'Sivaji' and 'Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu' in the past. “This is the second week running and the crowds haven’t stopped pouring in,” says Mohan. “18 prints is the largest for a Suriya film in the US so far.'Ghajini' had about 8 prints. We have screened 'Vaaranam' in 2 centres in Los Angeles and 3 in New Jersey instead of the normal 2, apart from centres in Virginia, Dallas, Detroit, Minneapolis and San Jose.”
So how did Suriya land up in San Jose during the second week of screening? Apparently the actor is in the US on a holiday. “It’s the sheer good luck of the fans that Suriya is on a US visit right now. When we heard he was coming to the Bay Area, we approached him with the idea of theatre visits. He was most co-operative, taking time off from his holiday to meet the fans,” says Mohan who flew down to San Jose specially for this event.
The distributors arranged a luxury limousine to pick up the star, who first visited the Adlabs IMC theatre at 7 pm to be greeted by ecstatic and screaming fans. “We had informed our regular cinema goers through emails and the Internet, but many others who came thought it was just a rumour that Suriya was coming!” laughs Mohan. “When they actually saw him there, they couldn’t believe it!”
The actor answered their questions, posed for innumerable photos and gave autographs before leaving for the Serra Theatres. “It was around 9:45 pm and we caught two sets of audiences. For one set it was the interval and the other set were going in for the late show. Around 300 people threw questions at Suriya while others came up and congratulated him on the film,” recalls Mohan.
Suriya speak
And how did the actor himself react to all the adulation that he was receiving? Talking exclusively to Expresso from San Jose later on, Suriya revealed, “It was wonderful to meet all these fans and get their reactions.” Probe a little more about the comments of the audience and the reticent actor reveals, “Many of them thanked Gautham and me for taking Tamil cinema to the next level. Others appreciated the hard work put into the performances and the six packs. Most of them asked questions about working in the film. They were ecstatic about the interaction and thanked me for coming to San Jose and making this film a special experience. Most of them never expected to meet me ever in their lives so they said how special this moment was for them.” He explains further, “In the US, its not easy for families to come to cinema houses to see Indian films. They don’t have maids to look after kids at home and they have to plan their trips in advance. They also have to travel long distances to see a film. All this effort made it a special evening for them and me as well.”
It does seem that Suriya, the audiences and the distributors had an evening they would cherish for a long time. Says Mohan, “We really appreciate his visit. It shows his dedication and support to the film and gives us more confidence for future projects as well.” A dream visit indeed.
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