Some stories need our attention; while many stories go on around us, it’s hard to keep people’s attention and get them known. Cinema often uses its voice to get much-needed attention from the people. While many of the stories get inspired by books, the recent release of Amazon’s original film “Soorarai Pottru” is another addition to the this inspiration.
The story is about an ordinary man named Nedumaaran Rajangam (Suriya), also known as Maara, who comes from Sholavandan near Madhurai. Maara’s father is a teacher who is mostly petitioning for change. The story takes place in the ‘70s to early 2000, where we see Marra manage to add his hometown to a list of the station stops, as the train doesn’t stop at his village. Coming from a humble background, he manages to set his foot into the air force. Still, he has a vision of building a low-cost airline for everyone to get flying experience.
Being in the air-force, Marra has seen the life and experience that flying gives. He wants to use his life and experience to make an airline that can provide ordinary people with their first flying experience that is smooth and less expensive. He has made a smart plan with expertise from friends who are part of the aviation field. Before starting his project, he meets his Idol Paresh Goswami, founder of one of the leading airlines. At the same time, he doesn’t welcome this idea of him. Marra decides not to stop but keep going on towards his long-time dream of doing something for all. As the common man with a vision start his airline, can he be in the sky without falling? That’s what the journey of the film is about.
The film is based on Captain GR Gopinath’s book “Simply Fly” and directed and co-wrote by Sudha Kongara along with Shalini Ushadevi. The script is beautifully written on men with a dream and an inspiring journey towards reaching a goal despite setbacks. The story takes a non-linear approach with the right amount of the protagonist’s personal life to what the narrative is actually about. The dialogues are smartly written to convey the technical terms in an effortless, everyday way. While the tale seems to influence, a few of the sequences don’t find the right balance, and are either harsh or melodramatic. Sometimes it’s missing needed information, like in an Indian Air force scene where we see a sign that does not depict or reflect the real Air Force policy, which is critical when it is about an entire journey.
One of the best parts of the screenplay is a sub-plot of Maara and Bommi (Aparna Balamurali), which brings strength and soul to the story. At the same time, Boomi’s character is also a lady with a dream of running a bakery. While her dream might seem small in Marra’s context, the writers keep underlining her story and breaking the stereotypes. Her strong perspective helps the storyline in a positive way.
Ultimately, director Sudha Kongara manages to set a powerful and realistic story about a real-life person’s personal and professional journey. The CGI of the film is perfect, which makes the essential visual strong. Niketh Bommireddy’s cinematography is fine, capturing the early and late stage of the dramatis personae, as well as the music of G. V. Prakash Kumar, which is perfect and additionally helps the film.
Suriya is a boundless talent, a Tamil superstar who has proven his excellent acting skills for a long time now. In this role, he gets into his character’s skin, where we see he walks and moves the part. He talks like the role he is playing. He beautifully expresses his emotional depth, which touches straight to viewers. Aparna Balamurali, as Bommi, is flawless; she brings another strong performance with this film. Other actors like Mohan Babu and Paresh Rawal have acted well in their respective roles along with the rest.
“Soorarai Pottru” is an inspiring tale that connects to everyone who has a dream. The film gives a beautiful message on not giving up on your dream despite the bumps that will come on the way—if you work hard and right, you will make it. The film has excellent direction by Sudha Kongara, and Surya’s acting is top-notch. Without a doubt, it’s a must-watch movie over the coming weekend.
You can check out this film on Amazon Prime.
