'Singam' franchise helped me reach the masses: Suriya

Chennai: Actor Suriya, who awaits the release of Tamil actioner "SI3", considers the "Singam" franchise a big milestone in his nearly two-decade long career.

"When I look back at my career, the 'Singam' franchise as a brand stands out. It has been a milestone, because it helped me reach the masses. Naturally, I'm very excited about the third part," Suriya told IANS.

"SI3", which is gearing up for release on February 9, is the third part in the franchise.

All the three parts have been directed by Hari. Reminiscing his journey with the filmmaker, Suriya said: "It has been a memorable one. There's never been a bitter moment in our relationship. As director and actor, we understand and complement each other very well."

He clarified that the third part has not been made to cash in on the success of the first two ones.

"Hari and I had originally planned to work on another script. However, fans requested we collaborate for the third part of 'Singam', and we obliged. Luckily, Hari had another script ready and we were good to go right away."

Talking about the experience of working with Hari, he said: "I'm still in awe of the pace at which he works. You feel like you're always on the toes on his set. Usually, you shoot three or four shots in a day when you're working with any director. With Hari, we could shoot 90 shots in a single day and without compromising on the output."

Going by the film's promos, "SI3" promises a lot of action. Suriya said he loved shooting for action sequences in the film.

"Thanks to the excitement of stunt master Kanal Kannan, shooting action scenes was so much fun," he said.

The film also stars Shruti Haasan and Anushka Shetty in supporting roles.