Indian 2 starring Kamal Haasan in the lead is an upcoming vigilante action that is all set to release in theaters from July 12, 2024. The movie written and directed by Shankar, comes as a sequel to the Shankar-Kamal Haasan's blockbuster hit Indian (1996). The sequel i.e. Indian 2 has SJ Suryah playing the main villain, and the actor has revealed during promotions that his baddie character is more of an extended cameo in Indian 2. 

"In Indian 2, I appear only in a small extended cameo. Indian 3 will have more concrete portions for my character. So enjoy these movies back to back (Indian 3 is set to release 6 months after Indian 2)." - SJ Suryah during Indian 2 promotions in Singapore

SJ Suryah further revealed during the Indian 2 fans meet in Singapore, that though Indian 2 marks his maiden collaboration with Kamal Haasan, the director-turned-actor had wanted to work with Kamal Haasan even before he started out in filmmaking. 

"When I wanted to start out as an assistant director, it came to my knowledge that Marudhanayagam (an unreleased historical drama directed, produced and headlined by Kamal Haasan) was in the works. So I went to meet (Kamal Haasan) sir to ask for a chance. I went by the name Justin at that time (SJ Suryah is his stage name that was given to him during AD days)..I met Kamal Haasan sir at Raaj Kamal (Films International) office and told him I was a Loyola college student.. He said 'tell me Justin' with an accent..No one had ever pronounced my name so beautifully before or after.

I couldn't reach Kamal Haasan sir after that to work on the movie (Marudhanayagam).,He himself was in a situation where he couldn't take the movie to where he wanted to (Since 1997 Marudhanayagam's production has been revived many times to no avail). 

 

It an amazing thing that my desire to have an opportunity to work with Kamal Haasan since those days, has fruitioned after all these years in Indian 2 and Indian 3. It is a blessing that has been obtained after a long wait. 

Recently, when I saw the stills of me, Siddharth sir and Kamal Haasan sir, I told Siddharth (in jest) 'It would be so good to have the three of us in a movie together'."

 

SJ Suryah's statements during Indian 2 promotions were also reflective of the high regards the actor holds for Kamal Haasan. In Singapore, SJ Suryah said, "If art is a sea, the whale that can live in competence with the sea is Kamal Haasan sir. A whale jumps out of the ocean, spiral-dives back in, stands tall, does all kinds of magic on the spot. I view (Kamal Haasan the whale) as a small fish from the sidelines. It is a pleasure that cannot be described in words." 

Back in India, SJ Suryah had high praise of Kamal Haasan's efforts for portraying the 106 year old Senapathy in full prosthetics. "(A) Monstrous effort as an actor. To the core patience (Kamal Haasan has implemented)...Makeup alone (for Indian 2) took 5 hours (for Kamal Haasan). It starts right from 3: 30 AM..The shot has to be given within 6 hours of the prosthetic being on. Remuneration for an actor is for acting alone. But who pays for all this (extra efforts). Who pays extra on a movie ticket for all this? Kamal Haasan gives all this as an extra blessing to us (audience), because of his love for the art." 

SJ Suryah concluded his love for Kamal Haasan by stating, "It is tough to do magic, It is very very tough to do simple magic. Kamal Haasan sir does this simple magic like the back of hand.". Revealing how he landed a role in Indian 2 and Indian 3, SJ Suryah revealed,

 “After seeing a few scenes of mine with Ram Charan in Game Changer, director Shankar cast me to play the main villain in Indian 2. This is one of the biggest highs of my career

 

Shankar sir is very protective of the scenes in Indian 2 and did not let me watch any other portions besides mine during dubbing. I am an eager audience for Indian 2 and Indian 3 just like everyone,”