Director Sudha Kongara has garnered rave reviews for her latest feature film, Soorarai Pottru (2020) which had an exclusive release on Amazon Prime Videos on 12th November last year.
The film is based on the autobiography, Simply Fly (2009), written by Air Deccan founder Captain G.R. Gopinath, and stars actors Suriya, Aparna Balamurali, Urvashi, Vivek Prasanna, and Krishnakumar as protagonists, and Paresh Rawal as the antagonist.
Kongara has picked up Captain Gopinath’s story and embedded it in Tamil Nadu, even though the film commences media res in the city of Chennai, the rural setting constitutes a significant part of it, capturing the humble beginnings of a man, Nedumaran ‘Maara’ Rajangam (Suriya) who dreamed to make flying accessible to all.
The narrative shuttles between the present and different phases in Maara’s life from childhood to rebellious youth; mapping incidents that shaped the man behind the dream. The representation of Sundari or ‘Bommi’ (Aparna Balamurali) has also received much appreciation.
Bommi is not just a love interest but an individual with ambitions of her own, who does not shy away from expressing her thoughts quite unreservedly. She goes on to successfully run a bakery and sustain the household, while Maara chases his dream. Her character is also noteworthy for subverting several stereotypes associated with women.
In addition to the much applauded writing, G.V. Prakash’s soundtrack for the film has amassed an amazing response, so much so that some of the songs had trended since long before the film was released on the OTT platform.
Many have found its lyrics immensely delectable. Moreover, Kongara uses songs in the film as catalysts rather than blocks that disrupt screenplay. They are neatly interspersed in the narrative and facilitate the progression of the story.
The attention paid to perfecting rural slangs and pronunciation renders the film more organic, and a splendid performance on part of the actors further adds to this. Kongara had conducted several rounds of reading sessions before the film was shot, and actors have revealed that this had a great impact on the way they essayed their roles.
These meticulous efforts have been fruitful enough. Following a fabulous reception now the film has joined the race for the Oscars. It is available in the Academy Screening Room for Academy members to watch and vote. It is competing in several categories including, but not restricted to, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Composer, and Best Story Writer.