Tamil actor Suriya Sivakumar, who had courted controversies in the past over his stance against Hindi, has relocated to Mumbai from Chennai.
As per reports, the actor’s wife Jyotika is working on a Hindi web series and his children (Diya and Dev) are attending school in the city. Suriya has therefore bought a new house for his family in Mumbai, at a whopping Rs 70 crores.
The actor had also criticised the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and the Centre’s National Education Policy (NEP) draft in the past. After it came to light that Suriya made a conscious decision to shift to BJP-ruled Maharashtra, netizens were quick to call out his hypocrisy.
#Suriya has bought a new house in Mumbai reportedly for Rs 70 crores, and settled in with his family 😲#Jyotika #Suriya42 #kollywood pic.twitter.com/OwWzymzKGJ
— REPORTER INDIA (@ReporterIndia_) March 22, 2023
Orthodontist Swathi Bellam wrote, “Suriya sir was at the forefront of anti #HindiImposition and NEET in Tamilnadu and claimed uneducated BJP govt can’t impose their National Education policy on world’s most educated state Tamilnadu.”
“Now he shifted his family to Mumbai for better education of his children and bought a 70 crore bungalow in a state where the students don’t study Tamil and no one opposes Hindi. I am sure Ambani school has Tamil medium studies for his children and will they say #HinditeriyaduPoda in Mumbai.”
Suriya saar was in the fore front of anti #HindiImposition and NEET in Tamilnadu and claimed uneducated Bjp govt cant impose their National Education policy on worlds most educated state Tamilnadu
— Swathi Bellam (@BellamSwathi) March 27, 2023
Now he shifted his family to mumbai for better education of his children and… pic.twitter.com/Wl9JBuxHAU
Another Twitter user pointed out, “Actor Suriya moved along with his wife and also enrolled his children in a school in Mumbai. Ok, this is his personal life and none can question (it). Hope he has enrolled his children in a school which has two languages (Eng & தமிழ்) policy and is against #NEP,#NEET etc.”
Actor @Suriya_offl moved along with his wife and also enrolled his children in a school at Mumbai.
— akindtamizhan (@akindtamizhan) March 27, 2023
Ok this is his personal life and none can question.
Hope he has enrolled his children in a school which have two language (Eng & #தமிழ்) policy and against of #NEP,#NEET etc 😉😉
“Interesting. Hope they found a school that teaches Tamil and follows a two-language policy in Mumbai,” tweeted one Vaijayanthi.
Interesting. Hope they found a school that teaches Tamil and follows a two language policy in Mumbai. https://t.co/q4nZJAXNuH
— Vaijayanthi (@vaiju7) March 26, 2023
“Suriya & Jyothika shift their base from Chennai to Mumbai. This is because Mumbai’s Dharavi offers the best curriculum in Tamil in the world, they didn’t want their kids to miss out on the best education. Stop criticising them as if they felt Chennai’s education was mediocre,” one Arun Vishwanathan wrote in a sarcastic tweet.
Suriya & Jyothika shift their base from Chennai to Mumbai.
— Arun Vishwanathan🌞| GTSR (@arunv2808) March 27, 2023
This is because Mumbai’s Dharavi offers the best curriculum in Tamil in the world, they didn’t want their kids to miss out on the best education.
Stop criticising them as if they felt Chennai’s education was mediocre.
Views of Suriya on NEP, Hindi and NEET
In July 2019, Suriya was at the forefront of criticising the National Education Policy (NEP). He had claimed that the Centre’s decision would leave students from rural areas in a disadvantaged situation.
He also cried foul over the three-language policy (English, Hindi and regional language), which is part of the academic curriculum. “From three years, three languages are being imposed on students and government school students are most affected by this,” he had said.
“I find it difficult to teach even my kids the third language, who will teach the government school students then? If we are going to be silent about this policy, it will be imposed on us,” he had claimed.
Interestingly, actor Kamal Hassan came out in support of Suriya over the ‘Hindi imposition’ row. A year later in September 2020, Suriya Sivakumar compared the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to ‘Manu Dharma’ tests.’ and mobilised the public against the pan-India exam.
“It becomes a life-long punishment for the parents who suffer after losing their children to an unfair system of tests…Let us vocalise our opposition against NEET, which sets fire to the medical dreams of students from normal families” he had said.
“Modern Dronacharyas are asking for a Class 6 student to prove his mettle by passing a test. For those who pass this, there are more fierce weapons awaiting, like the NEET,” Suriya had claimed.
