At 65, Paresh Rawal is ready to chart a new inning—the actor is set to make his Tamil debut with Soorarai Pottru, which is based on the life of Air Deccan founder G R Gopinath and features Suriya in the lead. In his first brush with the South film industry, the veteran is evidently impressed with its efficiency.

"It is such a joy to work with Suriya. He is such a huge star with [a massive following] across the nation, but he never behaves like one. Most stars here are so disciplined and focused; they don't throw a tantrum on set or throw their weight around. In the '90s, people appreciated the working style of the South industry. Here, your shoot gets over on time, you get your payment on time, and so on. If the director has called for a 9 am shift, the entire team will be present, regardless of how big a star one is," he says.

Rawal, who had collaborated with then-newcomer Jyothika in Doli Saja Ke Rakhna (1998), is amused how fate has now united him with Suriya. "After so many years, here I am, working with her husband!"

The actor plays an antagonist in the Guneet Monga-backed offering that drops on Amazon Prime Video on November 12. If finding his rhythm in another industry was easy, learning the language was an uphill task. "The people are simple, but their language is difficult for me. The team was patient with me as I learnt all the lines by heart. They constantly helped me with the dialogues."

On the Bollywood front, Rawal recently wrapped up shooting for Hungama 2. Talking about filming in the post-COVID world, he says, "The Coronavirus is not [abating] anytime soon, and we can't be sitting at home. So, one has to be alert and maintain social distancing while working. I will head to Chandigarh soon to shoot another film."