Jottings - Slice of life - 430 ( Soorarai Pottru ( praise the brave ) - a liberal cinematic interpretation of Captain Gopinath’s airline revolution in India. A good watch.)
Of all the art forms, Cinema is unique in the sense — to learn, interpret, and internalize the subtleties of the craft, one needs to apprentice under an experienced director. This requirement of studying under a master is no doubt true of all art forms, but the art of cinema, unlike music, dance or painting - is not just about refining and perfecting a solitary skill, but an understanding and assimilation of a multitude of skills ranging from taut screenplay to crisp dialogues, to soliciting good acting performances, to precise editing, to mesmerizing music, to visually appealing cinematography and much more. It often takes time, patience, and passion along with a relentless commitment to learning the craft in its entirety. An aspiring director often spends years together under a master before they are confident of branching off on their own. And even when they do so, there is no guarantee anything original will come out of them. Very few aspirants in this journey manage to retain their original sense of artistic vision that attracted them to cinema in the first place, and then have the audacity and finesse to translate the vision on screen in their own signature style. These few fortunate ones that do so become trailblazers in their own right.
I wrote the above preamble to emphasize that Sudha Kongara, the director of “Soorarai Pottru” belongs to the new generation of Film directors who have apprenticed under great directors: in her case, Mani Ratnam and Bala. Sudha’s filmography has just started, and in a couple of movies she has directed so far, there is an unmistakable stamp of detailing and style — both in the framing of the screenplay and attention to minutiae. I was a little disappointed with her short film in the newly released anthology “ Putham pudhu Kaalai” set in the early months of the pandemic. The anthology is available on Amazon prime, and Sudha’s story, the first in the series, seems hollow and hastily done.
“Soorarai Potru” is loosely based on Captain Gopinath’s successful story of fighting his way to launch a low-cost airline in the repressively bureaucratic and high-profile aviation segment in India. I haven't read Gopinath’s book “Simply fly” but I am assuming the essence of the screenplay portraying Nedumaran’s( the hero) ambition as a village boy dreaming of one day physically connecting across the small towns and villages, his personal struggles, the corruption, and administrative hurdles encountered, and the mechanical realities about operating a low-cost plane — all of them come from the book. Sudha is honest in not claiming that her work is not an adaptation of the biography, but only based on the book and other “ civil aviation stories”. To that extent, we don't have to hold the movie accountable to the book. We can look at Soorarai Pottru as a fairly accurate cinematic representation of an unbelievable transformation in the Indian aviation industry at the turn of this century Unlike many other parts of the world, the airline industry in India was never for the masses. Even at the beginning of the twenty-first century, Flying in India remained the privilege of the elite. For the common man, the railways and the roadways were the only options. For a country of the size of India, the sheer logistics of building airports, and installing the technology required to empower them was never a priority of the Government. The immense network of roadways and railways were enough to meet the needs, and additionally, these two modes of transport employed millions in the bargain - which is an important consideration in the Indian economy. The Airways were reserved for the upper classes, and therefore the kind of airplanes used, the levels of service and comfort offered onboard were tuned to a very specific category of people. To fly was a luxury and not a necessity. India was ripe for a low-cost airline in the first decade of the new millennium. There was an exponentially growing middle class, and millions of people living in the villages and suburbs were being lifted out of poverty thanks to the economic liberalization of the nineties. All it needed was someone who could tap the need and carve a new path, and Captain Gopinath happened to be the one with the drive, know-how, and tenacity. While the US introduced its first low-cost airline in 1949, and Europe in the 1990s, Gopinath’s Air Deccan went operational in 2004, triggering a revolution in the transportation sector in India and indirectly lowering the social barriers in a nation that is historically known for its strict stratification of society.
The story of Soorarai Potru is straightforward. A young man, Nedumaran ( played by Surya), unable to reach his village in time to mourn a family tragedy, vows to create a low-cost airline that could transform transportation for those in the lower-income groups. He is so consumed by the idea, that everything else in his life begins to revolve around it. How Nedumaaran achieves his goal is the story of the film. What Sudha and her team of writers have done admirably is mix the right dose of facts with plenty of fantasy, giving the movie the rich gloss of commercialism it needs to do well at the box office, and at the same time, gently ensuring that the ground realities and hurdles of building the first low-cost airline in a tightly controlled industry are not lost on a discerning audience. Just as Mani Ratnam’s “Guru” and “Iruvar” — two top-class biopics were intelligently packaged biographies of Dhirubhai Ambani and Dr. MGR respectively, Sudha, a student of the Mani Ratnam, has managed to paint the essence of Captain Gopinath’s achievement within the canvas of commercial cinema. The overall effect of the biopic is good and entertaining and has some good committed performances by lead actors.
Surya has always been a committed actor, just as his father was. His career is punctuated with disciplined performances under a variety of directors. Surya cannot be counted as a versatile actor, but he compensates for it with his dedication. Serious roles suit him well. Those large, dark, deep-set luminescent eyes can portray a variety of dark and deep emotions — which directors over the years have used well. I distinctly remember being haunted in my dreams by Surya’s eyes, after watching Nanda ( by Director Bala) - a film in which he plays the role of a killer with bad genes in him. In Soorarai Potru, Surya gives sufficient artistic shape to the character that demands honesty, integrity and grit, and innovation. There are, of course, moments when his acting melts into melodrama, but that is Ok considering the movie is targeted at a wider audience in whom such exaggerated histrionics will find an emotional resonance. The idea of “realism” in cinema is debatable. In this case, given the context of the story, and the way it is told, Surya has enacted the role well. He fills almost every frame in the movie. Since he has produced it, he has ensured that the movie is all about him most of the time.
To me, the best performance in the movie goes to the heroine Aparna Balamurali, who plays the role of Nedumaaran’s wife. In real life, Captain Gopinath’s wife did play a crucial part in her husband’s success, and Sudha has made sure that her contribution is not sidelined in this biopic. Aparna has delivered an excellent and effortless performance in the role of an adamant, opinionated, loving, and supporting wife. The chemistry between Surya and her is effervescently romantic. Some of the best parts of the movie are between the two of them. It is refreshing to see a heroine who can be glamorous, sizzling, and can act well without having to shed clothes. After a long time, Urvashi as Surya’s mother has a meaningful role in the film. Her talent comes through with great effect in a couple of important points in the movie.
Overall, the movie managed to hold my interest till the very end. Though predictable, cliched, and childish — at times, especially the characterization of Paresh Rawal, the screenplay had a momentum that kept in going. There was never a dull moment in the two and a half hours of movie time. Even though the movie was shot and completed in 2019, and made for the big screen, the perspicaciousness of the producers to not wait any longer for the theaters to open up, and instead take their chances with Amazon is a sign of confidence in the content and the reach of the story. The pandemic may have shifted the trajectory of the film industry itself. It is uncertain if cinema halls can open to full capacity in the next year also; in which case, many more movies waiting in the pipeline will find its way to Amazon or Netflix. Whether it is good or bad, only time can judge. I am happy watching movies on my big television screen.
I recommend Soorarai Potru for its good acting performances, sensitive directorial touches, and above all, for telling a nice and uplifting story in an entertaining form and structure.
God bless…
yours in mortality,
Bala
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