At the trailer launch of NGK, Suriya said it has been a really long wait to work with Selva. “I vaguely remember my first meeting with Selva in 2002. He showed me the songs of Kadhal Kondein. I told him I wanted to work with him. We’ve finally worked together in NGK. It has been a long wait but working with him has been special,” Suriya said, adding that he would love to work with the filmmaker again.

In the film — a political thriller — Suriya plays someone who rises up to become a politician from the grassroot level. Suriya said NGK isn’t just about politics. “It is Selva’s take on politics and it has much more to offer. I fell in love with cinema more after working with Selva. Each day on the sets of NGK, I was able to learn and unlearn even after 20 years of acting. Each day was a bundle of surprises,” he said.

The film also stars Sai Pallavi and Rakul Preet Singh.

Talking about Sai Pallavi’s commitment, he said: “Sai Pallavi is such a passionate co-star. There were times she would cry when she couldn’t deliver her best in a shot. When she isn’t satisfied with her own performance, she would want to shoot again. It is rare to find such passionate actors.” NGK, set for release on May 31, was supposed to hit the screens last Diwali.

“The time that we spent on the project has been well justified. Some of the delays were unavoidable and it includes the industry strike, and both Selva and I falling ill for a few weeks. We had to take breaks from shoot. However, we made the most of every day we shot for this project,” Suriya added. Produced by Dream Warrior Pictures, the film has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja.