Surya learns circus tricks for 7 Aum Arivu

Tamil superstar Surya could teach his Bollywood counterparts a thing or two about method acting. For a role that is a homage to Raj Kapoor in Mera Naam Joker, not only has the young actor spent a major part of this year preparing for his role as a circus artiste, but Surya now intends to put up a public show of his newly-acquired skills to prove they are authentic.

For his Tamil-Telugu-Hindi tri-lingual film 7 Aum Arivu(The Seventh Sense) in which he plays a circus artiste, Surya has been practising every conceivable circus stunt. He can now walk the trapeze, blow fire out of his mouth and juggle with six balls. In fact the ball-jugglery has been the favourite part of Surya's preparation for his role and he just can't get enough of it.

Now to prove to his audience that the circus feats they will see him perform on the film are not doctored Surya will go public with his skills. The film's director Murugadoss who's currently shooting with Surya at a live circus on Coimbatore confirms the actor's plans to hold a public performance of his skill.

Says the director who last worked with another method actor called Aamir Khan in Ghajini, "For the last six months Surya has been trained by a circus veteran who came home to Surya every day for a couple of hours of practice. Secretly, Surya has been learning all the ropes of being a complete circus artiste. His character is not supposed to specialize in one skill alone. Surya had to learn everything that a circus artiste does. He specially loves the ball juggling. He has mastered juggling six balls simultaneously. He loves performing for his kids and friends."

Surya's mastery over the art of jugglery and other circus stunts will now be on public display. Says Murugadoss, "Surya will perform all his circus tricks live on stage at the music-release function for our film. He doesn't want his fans to think that the stunts they'd see him do in the film are special-effects. He has worked hard to learn the tricks and he wants the audience to appreciate it."

Not only this. In Coimbatore during the current shooting at a real circus, Surya spent non-shooting hours entertaining the circus artistes with his tricks.

Says Murugadoss, "Surya is good enough to impress actual circus artistes who have spent all their life mastering the tricks."

Adds the director, "It's been decades since any film set in a circus was made. I can only think of Raj Kapoor Saab's Mera Naam Joker and Kamal Hassan sir's Appu Raja. Surya pays homage to both the actors. His commitment to the project is so complete, he not only looks his part, he feels as though he's part of a circus."

Having worked with two method actors, one wonders how Murugadoss would feel working with the spontaneous one-take Akshay Kumar next!

Adds Surya, "I actually went and stayed with a circus, the Great Bombay Circus. Do you know there are only 7-8 circus companies remaining in the country? It's frightening how popular entertainment like television has ousted its traditional counterpart. I loved learning circus tricks specially jugglery. I don't want people to think it is special effects."