Suriya's much-awaited 'Aakaasam Nee Haddhu Ra' is going to stream from November 12. The OTT release is inspired by Air Deccan founder GR Gopinath's life. In her latest interview, the versatile actor talks about the experience of essaying a challenging role, teaming up with Sudha Kongara, what makes the film special, his wife Jyothika's second innings and more.

On OTT release

It has been a complete shift in our lives. These six months gave us extra time to refine the content of 'Aakaasam Nee Haddhu Ra' in terms of CG output. It was a joint call to go for a direct OTT release.

OTT is a new experience. Since we are not certain about how long we would have to wait for theatres, we went in for this route. We can't keep a film in the lab for too long. We will miss the theatrical experience, yes.

The journey of a legendary man:

This is not a regular film. This has been my director's dream for the last 10 years. It's about a common man with an uncommon dream. Low-cost flying has been made possible by the Air Deccan founder GR Gopinath. This person has changed the face of India in the last two decades. He has made thousands of people fly by spending just Re 1. Our film traces his journey through a lot of areas, including irrigation and politics. He had all the adventures in life.

Doing script-reading sessions

Script-reading helps you be that character even before you start shooting for the movie. That's what we have done for this project. You see characters living in front of you before you enter the set.

Bond with Rakhi sister Sudha

I have known Sudha for several years. During the making of 'Yuva', I would try my best to satisfy her with my expressions. At times, she would say my reaction was a bit too much in a scene. She is my Rakhi sister. After watching 'Guru', I wanted to act under her. Luckily, she had a story for me.

Reel vs real characters

Singham and Yamudu were all reel characters. But what you will see in 'ANHR' is a real character. The complexities of the Indian bureaucratic system and such issues are found in the life of Gopinath sir. Economic difficulties should not hold you back, is what the film says. When I did films like 'Ghajini' and 'Surya S/o Krishnan', I was encouraged to be different, to underplay. There are moments when you get to play a loser, for example.

Reliving my past

I was once thrown out of the house to earn my own money. I joined the garment industry and earned Rs 750 in the first month. How to carve your own identity is what I learned during that phase. Playing this character helped me relive those emotions. Since the director knows me from those days, she helped me relive those days in playing the character. She made me go through a change.

I feel happy when people say they get inspired by movies and my characters. A waiter was inspired to become a hotel manager, for example.

Working with Mohan Babu, Paresh Rawal

I and Lakshmi Manchu have known each other since college days. We roped in Mohan Babu sir because the character had to be played by a tall, domineering personality. He plays my mentor in the film. He was kind enough to hear the story immediately. He okayed the film saying he was doing it for me and the character. He was always sincere and meticulous on set. Working with Paresh Rawal sir, too, was a great experience. These are stalwarts who respected the script and went out of their way to play the characters.

A remake is on cards

Change is the only constant thing. After this movie, we hope a variety of stories will be told by south Indian cinema. Someone in Bollywood is interested in remaking the film. I won't be playing the character, as it would be a repetition. If everybody is on the same page, I might co-produce the movie in Hindi.

On Jyothika's new innings

I am very proud of Jyothika's choices in her second innings. I believe in Karma. If your thoughts are clear and your heart is pure, you attract purity. Whatever she has done in the recent past, she has done heartfully. She was personally affected by some of the issues in these films in her life. It's more about self-respect, upliftment, giving women self-confidence. All these are a part of her core belief system. She is completely into it when she gets work that fits into her belief system. She has the guts to say no to a film that doesn't have a strong character in a film. She can say no to even big names. I am a proud husband.