सरफिरा

On leaving the Indian Air Force after a short engagement a young man Vir ( Akshay Kumar) from a rural area in India dreams of establishing a low cost airline for the millions of India who cannot afford air travel. Laughed at by his parents, relatives and friends he continues planning nevertheless. His parents also want him get married to Rani (Radhika Madan) who is equally enthusiastic to start a bakery and be self sufficient. The marriage does take place and both get busy in their respective endeavors. Vir faces many hurdles, upsets, and challenges in setting up the Airline but each time he springs back due to his resilient nature and "never say die" attitude.

This is a remake of a Tamil movie and is based on true events as described in a book on the life of Captain Gopinath. Director Sudha Kongara has made a riveting movie and despite a comparatively long runtime of 155 minutes I did not find it dragging anywhere though the emotional scenes seem overstretched and cringy at places. Akshay carries the movie throughout and has an opportunity to showcase various shades of the character he plays. Audiences will identify with the resolve, the determination, the fortitude and the tenacity of his on screen character. Radhika impresses as the sprightly and spunky lass displaying woman empowerment. Paresh Rawal plays the rich, pompous and scheming Airline boss out to place hurdles in Akshay's path.

Sarfira stands out one of those rare instances in biographical drama space, where they tend to skillfully weave familial dynamics into the fabric of protagonist's aspirational journey.

The writing not only highlights the aspirations and lifelong goals of our central character but also places significant emphasis on the bonds he nurtures with those dear to him.

Every bit of emotion; be it love, resentment, or reconciliation are portrayed with sincerity and compassion.

The latter segments of the film may come off as elongated, but the underlying motivation is showcased with much efficiency nonetheless!

It has been quite some time since I witnessed Akshay Kumar immerse himself so fully into a role; his commitment to the character was palpable and shined through in his notable performance!

A special mention goes to Radhikka Madan as well, whose portrayal of a strong independent woman beautifully complemented Akshay's sincere efforts. Loved her here!

The film is a reflection of the life of GR Gopinath who was an aviation pioneer of the first low-cost airline in India. The story portrays his life, during which he faces many difficulties but manages to hold his own ideas against rival companies. He had a dream that would change the Indian airlines forever. He went against his investors, believing that there should be an airline easily affordable by the working class. He had a desire of making something which the world would have never seen or thought of. This set him apart from the competition. He tried hard, faced many obstacles but nothing could keep him from becoming who he wanted to be. Apart from all the wealth he raised, he had something much greater to focus on, focus on becoming a common man's voice and a well-known aviation magnet. The movie is extremely inspirational. Moreover, it dives into some of the hidden demons Gopinath faced throughout his journey.

Akshay Kumar, once again, shows his depth as an actor and his ability to carry a film. He deserves national award for this film and his due as an outstanding actor. Akshay Kumar's screen presence is powerful. The beginning scene sets the pace for his dream journey of a common man's airline. Sarfira showcases the torments and larger than life ambition of a genius.

Verdict - A winner all the way. Fly high...

Tone, Script & Story: The revolutionary story of Flight Company Deccan Air of how they bought flight services to poor people. Due to their venture many people were able to travel via air route as fares were affordable with tickets as cheap as Rupee 1.

What a fantastic cinema where determination wins despite of the sick nature of competition. It was all right as we approached end and the sick got the taste of its own medicine.

I have always wanted India to be a country where standard of living is at least enough to afford inter country air travel with ease. Thus I liked the movie. I however am surprised such startup was nowhere in news.

There were two instances that peaked my emotions, one when the wife supports him financially and other when villagers were all pouring there love in form of finances. Yes the poor people.

The sad thing is in reality Air Deccan is closed. Maybe that's why movie dint work at box office.

Direction, Screenplay, Cinematography: The sarfira man, the charming wife, air force, its officers, sky, planes, etc are all captured well.

Music: Music was average. Acting: Acting was good. You hate Paresh, You love Sarfira, You like the wife, Anil and Prakash shine along with others.

Final Verdict: Such an important incidence I don't know why was out of news. No problem, now it's out. Do watch it.

Akshay soars high in this inspirational tale which unfortunately failed to take off at the box office. Sarfira is a great movie with a terrific real life story and a solid performance by Akshay Kumar. Unfortunately another victim of the online trend of hate towards remakes in Bollywood and Akshay Kumar without even considering the quality of the movie. Like most Hindi movie audience I have not watched the national award winning Soorarai Pottru which is most likely a much superior movie. But unlike most Hindi movie audience, I have now watched Sarfira and absolutely loved it.

I think the reason the movie still retains its original DNA and emotional punch is because of the original writer, producer, director and some common cast. Kudos to Sudha Kongara for doing a great job retaining and replicating the movie's core soul. Paresh Rawal is perfect as the filthy rich, influential and arrogant aviation entrepreneur who is pitted against the ambitious protagonist of the movie played very well by Akshay and is his polar opposite. Radhika Madan and Seema Biswas are good in their respective roles. The movie even gets blessed by Suriya who was the producer and lead of the original through a nice Cameo at the end.

These are the kind of movies that deserve an audience. Heartwarming, well made stories that represent the best of society, with good acting, direction and content. Soorarai Pottru means Praise the Brave which doesnt exactly mean Sarfira (Crazy).....something gets lost in translation and just like the title, the movie's success and appreciation doesnt translate well despite its quality. This is a movie definitely worth watching with Akshay delivering a top notch performance like the days of his back to back social dramedies just a few years back. Loved it. 8/10.