Soorarai Pottru is Suriya’s first OTT release – first direct release for a Tamil superstar. Despite not getting a theatrical release, the film had a lot going for it, chief among them was getting to see Suriya in a majestic, performance-oriented role post a while and he doesn’t disappoint.
The premise is simple – a determined man’s efforts to get a low-cost airline running and at the same time, it is as difficult as it sounds. Even if parts of the challenges are fictionalised to a certain extent, they are adrenaline pumping, to say the least. Sudha Kongara deserves praise for reigniting the spark of determination in any of us watching the movie, which is based on Captain GR Gopinath who was instrumental in getting Deccan Air on board that delivered low-cost and affordable flying.
Suriya carries the entire film on his shoulders. He laughs, he cries and lives the moment – he is not Suriya but Nedumaaran alias Maaran on screen. He effortlessly brings out the anguish right in his performance and at times, with just his eyes, when his over-ambitious plans, seem to go haywire, at least initially.
Giving able support to Suriya is Bommi alias Sundari played by Aparna Balamurali. Her screen time may not be much but she plays the perfect foil to a man whose tagline well could have been – Sei alladu sethu madi. Sudha also deserves praise for not depicting the villains as the default, over the top mush and has actually worked on the gruelling shades of grey we human beings exhibit.
Emotions wise too, the film works big-time, pulling at your heartstrings. You want Suriya to succeed as much as you, simply because beyond a point of time, you begin to travel along with the character and naturally root for it to succeed. You, of course, know Maara is going to win, but the way, Sudha has set up the conquests, really makes for a thrilling ride. There is no point in the film where you are tempted to call it a 'Mayday'.
Considering the airline industry is multi-faceted, it makes sense to have actors who have predominantly worked in the Hindi industry such as Paresh Rawal and Prakash Belawadi on board; however, the impact isn’t quite there. Same goes for Mohan Babu’s character. Despite the scope the character could have had, he just doesn’t fit in the scheme of things. Sudha could have worked on his characterisation and lines better.
GV Prakash scores with both his music and the BGM but after a while, you do get a feeling he could have shown a little bit variety rather than go all out on folkish beats. Everyone including the supporting cast which includes the like of Urvashi, Karunas and Kaali Venkat, nail with both their Madurai Tamil and the performances.
Camera work by Niketh Bommireddy is right on point, so is the editing. Dialogues by 'Uriyadi' Vijaykumar and Virumandi help bring out the Madurai flavour. On the flip side, the film could have made use of some natural, situational humour, even if it’s of the wry kind to make up for the otherwise serious conflicts majorly.