Suraj Gontla a.k.a. Vikas - Dancer, Performer and Charmer

If there is someone in the GHS team who can carry the tag of a charmer, it has to be 17 year old Suraj Gontla. Blessed with a ready smile and a refined demeanour, this young actor who has acted in about 20 movies to date, is easily the face you won't forget in the crowd. And he will ensure that you won't forget him either, by walking up to you with that million dollar smile and wishing you.

Suraj Gontla

mmensely likeable for his pleasing manners, articulate and polite behavior, Suraj plays the complex role of Vikas, the ally of the even more complex Siddhanth, and a solid middle order batsman in the movie. His fractious relationship with his father is an emotional highpoint of the movie and I am certain this veteran child artiste would have delivered his emotional scenes well. He loves dancing and has performed over 700 stage shows with his brother (who also makes an appearance in the movie as the captain of the Everglades team). Suraj has appeared in dance shows like Dance Baby Dance and Dum Dum Diga Diga and acted in films like 'Mee Sreeyobhilashi', 'Anukokunda Oka Roju', 'Suryam', 'Swarabhishekam' etc. He has also acted in a telefilm with Bhanuchander.

Studying his Inter second year with MPC as his chosen subjects at St. Mary's Junior College, Yousufguda, Suraj aspires to be an animator and has made his plans for that. 'I want to enrol in Space Multimedia at Begumpet,' he says firmly. What about acting as a career? 'I would also gun for lead roles,' he says, 'if I get a break in movies'. He figures he does not need any further training in acting. Though he comes from a non-filmi background - his father is a businessman and his mother has recently started acting in tv and movies - he receives full support from the home front. His favourite stars and role models are Chiranjeevi, Soundarya, Sharukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit.

Suraj spends his spare time on facebook, drawing and painting and learning 2D and 3D animations.He is definitely not the sporting kind and one who can be spotted as the non-sportsman in the team from a distance. His body language is such - delicate and artistic. Of course we spotted this trait early on and relaised we had a challenge on our hands. Despite all the ribbing he took from us, Suraj never lost his composure or his smile and was always ready to put in that extra work to look good on camera. I remember putting his through basics and asking him to do the drills for an entire session and he would do it. I told him to do mirror practice and I am sure he would do it at home. His attitude is highly professional that way.

Suraj is steady, amicable and fro someone so young, very aware of his strengths. He knows he can back himself with his acting skills and dancing skills anytime, and therefore holds his belief throughout the movie. Anybody with lesser belief in himself and his abilities would faded away by the end of the movie, both in terms of the role and emotionally as well since the other guys play way better cricket, but not Suraj. He smiles as brightly as he did on day one, maybe brighter, and holds on to his parts solidly and tenaciously. I am waiting to see his dramatic parts in the movie. Cricketing parts? He laughs and says - Sir, that is the only game I never played in my life. And I guess only he could carry that vital role off with that confidence of his.

For his charming ways and his rootedness in his strengths and beliefs, Suraj is a sure winner for me in whatever he chooses to do. 'Except cricket,' as Baig saab says smiling. This is one student Baig saab  will never forget - for all the right reasons - he might have never encountered someone with such a bright smile, never-say-die spirit and pleasing personality yet.

'Oh,' bounced back Suraj. 'And my favourite colour is sky blue.' So it is.