S Justin Selvaraj, but widely known as SJ Suryah, is not only one of the most popular directors of Tamil Cinema, but also an established screenwriter, actor, music composer and producer. Besides contributing for Kollywood, Suryah is also known for his works in the Telugu and Hindi film industries. Born on July 20, 1966, Suryah has turned a year older today and from the industry members to fans, all are grateful to him for his contributions to the world of cinema. Bala Birthday Special: Here’s Looking at the Best Movies of This National Award-Winning Director of Tamil Cinema!

Before establishing a successful career in showbiz, SJ Suryah has done numerous odd jobs to be financially self-dependent. SJ Suryah has always wanted to become an actor, but it wasn’t an easy route. He first received the offer to apprentice under K Bhagyaraj. He later worked as an assistant director and even got to opportunity to bag minor roles in films, but they were uncredited. Suryah continued to work hard and it was while working in the team of Ullaasam, Thala Ajith recognised Suryah, who had played the role of an auto driver in his film Aasai. Suryah then narrated a script to Ajith and the former was introduced to producer SS Chakravarthy, who bankrolled his debut film as a director. K Balachander’s 90th Birth Anniversary: Looking at the Movies by the Revolutionary Filmmaker!

Vaali – In 1999, Suryah had made his directorial debut with this romantic thriller in which Thala Ajith was seen in a dual role alongside Simran and Jyothika in the lead. This film was a modern-day fictional adaptation of the legend of Vali from the Ramayana and it had opened to positive reviews and was a commercially successful film as well.

Kushi – After watching Suryah’s directorial debut Vaali, producer AM Rathnam offered Suryah a romantic comedy, Kushi, starring Thalapathy Vijay and Jyothika as the lead pair. The film was definitely a huge hit and was later remade in Hindi as Khushi, in Telugu as Kushi and in Kannada as Eno Onthara.

New – In 2004, Suryah featured as the lead actor in this comedy that was also written and directed by him. This comedy fantasy is said to be adapted from the Tom Hanks starrer Big.

Anbe Aaruyire – The romantic drama again starred Suryah along with Nila, Urvasi, Santhana Bharathi and Santhanam in the lead. This movie, which is again written and directed by him, had run into controversy even before it had hit the theatres, owing to its original title of “B.F.” According to Suryah it stood for ‘best friend’, but it was also a common acronym for ‘blue film’ in the country and later Anbe Aaruyire was finalised.

Isai – This musical thriller was written and directed SJ Suryah. And he even played the lead role in it. Isai was Suryah’s return to the industry as a director after a gap of more than a decade. It also marked his debut as music composer.

These are some of the finest films of SJ Suryah. He is an all-rounder and we can’t thank him enough for his contributions in the world of cinema. Here’s wishing Suryah a very happy birthday!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 20, 2020 08:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).