Suriya pens a heartfelt condolence letter on Friends director Siddique's passing: "Memories rush in and my heart is heavy..."

National Award-winning Tamil actor Suriya has penned a heartfelt condolence on iconic Malayalam filmmaker Siddique's passing on Wednesday, August 9. Having collaborated with the hit director during the early stages of his career in Friends (2001) alongside 'Thalapathy' Vijay, the Jai Bhim actor paid his tributes in an emotional note he shared on X. Reminiscing their times together, Suriya wrote in his statement, "Memories rush in and my heart is heavy. Siddique Sir's demise is an irreplaceable loss. My heartfelt condolence to his family and friends. I stand with you all in this moment of grief. Friends was an important film for me in many ways. (sic)" 

Explaining how the Malayalam filmmaker would uplift the spirit of the artistes, while also making him take a renewed interest in being at the shooting spot, Suriya added, "Siddique Sir was inherently an encouraging man who would compliment actors even if we did a small improvement to the scene. He would convey his observations on my performance with a lot of unconditional love, both during shoot and at edit. For the first time I looked forward to being on a film set! He taught me to enjoy the process of filmmaking, have a good laugh and to not take myself seriously. (sic)"

Explaining how the renowned filmmaker was a big name already in South Indian cinema when he was began his journey in cinema, Suriya mentioned, "Siddique Sir was a senior and much applauded director when he made Friends, but he would treat all of us as equals during shoot with his friendly approach. I've never seen him angry or raise his voice on set. Working with him is an experience I will cherish forever. He gave me something I didn't have before I met him - the inner confidence to believe in myself and my talent. Years later, wherever we met, he would enquire about my family and my happiness with much attention to what I was sharing with him." 

Concluding his statement and offering his support to the bereaved, Suriya wrote, "Thank you Siddique Sir for your faith, belief and trust in me during my formative years as an actor. I will miss you a whole lot. I pray for your family and friends to find their peace with bearing the physical loss of not having you around. However, the memories and love you've given us, will carry us through our journey ahead. (sic)"

Siddique Sir 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/o3St0wOrlb

— Suriya Sivakumar (@Suriya_offl) August 9, 2023