Suriya on Rolex: Why he broke a 20-year rule for Lokesh Kanagaraj’s vision

Tamil superstar Suriya is acutely aware of the impact his actions and words have on young and impressionable fans. Over the years, he has made careful choices both on and off the screen to uphold the values he believes in, including his strict rule against smoking in films. However, this commitment took a backseat when he signed on to play the ruthless gangster Rolex in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Vikram, marking a significant shift in his approach to his roles.

Reflecting on the experience, Suriya described his collaboration with Lokesh as unlike anything he had done before. "I didn’t get the scene paper until the morning of the shoot,” he told The Hollywood Reporter India. “I only knew I’d appear in the last two minutes of the film. It was a half-day shoot, with no prep. Everything was candid and spontaneous.”

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The role challenged him to break his long-standing no-smoking rule, which had been a personal standard. “For 20 years, I didn’t smoke on screen. But I thought, why bring Suriya into this role? I was playing a bad guy. Just before the shot, I asked for a cigarette and did the scene,” he shared, explaining his departure from his usual principles.

Suriya also recalled a pivotal moment on set with Kamal Haasan, whom he has long admired. “Kamal sir was coming to the set, and I had to finish my scene before he arrived—I can’t act in front of him,” he admitted with a laugh. “Lokesh had set the mood perfectly, and somehow the dialogues just resonated.”

Suriya’s performance as Rolex became one of the standout aspects of Vikram, contributing to the film’s spectacular success. The character's immense popularity even sparked discussions between Lokesh and Suriya about a potential standalone movie exploring Rolex’s origins. 

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