A biography for Samuthirakanihasn’t been written yet.
“I'll take up crucial roles that regular actors have declined as I feel that they will showcase my potential better.”
“The past must ground you and I'm the kind who likes to move on.”
“While I was in standard 12, I started delivering newspapers believing that this would be my life. But when I realised that this was not what I wanted to do, the search for something else began.”
“We are all searching for something in our life and rejection, failure and ridicule are part of that struggle.”
“Let's learn to appreciate the strength and nutritious value of red rice, kattuyanam rice, mappilai samba rice and bamboo rice. Get over the preference for white rice.”
“When Vetrimaaran called me for 'Vada Chennai,' I didn't even ask what it was about.”
“I play an encounter cop in 'Nee Ellam Nalla Varuva Da.' It is a good script.”
“Some actors don a woman's role briefly during the course of a film but they make it a point to appear as a man.”
“I like to keep myself busy. I believe that you should keep on working till you have the energy.”
“When we began our project with 'Subramaniapuram' the expectations were low and all we wanted to do was to make a decent movie. After a consecutive success of two movies, 'Easan' earned a lot of hype and we were apprehensive about its success.”
“I've slogged to become a director; it's taken a lot out of me.”
“For three years, from 1992-1994, I tried my luck as an actor. And then, wondering if I had a face to match my aspirations, I decided to explore direction.”
“Cinema has always been my first and only love and there came a point in my life when I realised that this was the only thing I wanted to do.”
“When everyone was celebrating the 100th day of 'Nadodigal,' I'd already finished shooting its Telugu version. I take ownership and revel in something only till I'm creating it.”
“Every day on the sets, I wait like a newcomer to see what the director has for me. I'll fall if he asks me to, cry on his instructions. But, the day I feel this is enough, I'll get back to what I would have been: a farmer.”
“I'd almost given up on my dreams. But, 'Subramaniapuram' proved that if you love something enough, it will find you.”
“Directing is a very exhausting and painful experience. I have seen that pain and know what it can do to you.”
“I was into acting and wanted to make it as an actor but now I love direction. The hard work, sleepless nights and busy schedules fascinate me more than acting.”
“I don't have to read scripts. I choose my films based on the people I want to work with.”
“If you saw me as a father who wants to raise his daughter in 'Aan Devadhai,' my character in 'Vada Chennai' is at the other end of the spectrum. For the first time, I got scared seeing myself on screen. It's a big gift that Vetrimaaran has given me.”