Sarfira Movie Review: Akshay Kumar Starrer Biopic Narrates Inspiring Story In An Entertaining Manner
Records state that directors who helm remakes of their original scripts almost always come up with a good film. Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Arjun Reddy remake, Kabir Singh, is a prime example. The latest addition to this list is Sudha Kongara’s Sarfira. Her retelling of Soorarai Pottru – that won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film – about an underdog dreaming big and finally achieving it against all odds is as sublime and heartfelt as the Suriya starrer.
Sarfira: Plot
Sarfira revolves around the story of Vir Jagannath Mhatre, who belongs to a small village in Maharashtra but harbours a big dream, that of launching a low-cost airline service (which he also refers to as one udta Udupi hotel) for the middle-class population of India that can also blur caste differences. He’s constantly at loggerheads with his father, a headmaster, who believes that non-violence is key to every problem. Vir, on the other hand, believes in fighting and protesting for causes close to his heart. The one thing, however, that connects them is the fact that both of them are revolutionaries and visionaries.
Following an ugly spat with his father who he calls a coward, Vir leaves home and enrolls himself at an aviation academy. While he proves his mettle there and emerges as a meritorious student, he gives that up to chase the larger picture. Thus begins his tireless struggle to fight the system, those sitting in the corridors of power, financial crunch, corruption and red-tapism. Joining him on this extremely daunting journey are his two friends and batch mates at the academy. Vir’s arch-nemesis is Paresh Goswami, the casteist and unscrupulous chairman of India’s biggest commercial airline, Jaz Airlines.
Back home, we see a rather unconventional romance brewing between Vir and Rani (played by Radhikka Madan), a chirpy, unapologetic and unhinged young girl from Sattara who aspires to run her own bakery someday. In a flashback sequence set in 1998, Rani after being rejected by twenty prospective grooms comes to Vir’s village with her family. And for those who feel triggered with the huge age-gap between Akshay and Radhikka, we’re happy to report that this age difference is diligently established at the outset.
Earlier in the second half, we also get a whiff of marital ego between the couple as Rani starts running a flourishing business and Vir still struggles to accumulate funds to get aircrafts on rent. Having said that, he immediately is apologetic of his behaviour and volatile temperament and a few sequences later, we see him requesting her to loan him Rs 15,000/- to get his dream venture Deccan Air up and running. Their relationship is rendered an element of verisimilitude and credit goes to Sudha, who makes sure that a woman character in a film isn’t relegated to being just the hero’s wife.
Sarfira: Performances
Sarfira marks the re-entry of Akshay, the actor, who has been delivering a plethora of commercial and critical duds. This, clearly, is his best performance in recent years. He cries earnestly, his failures are palpable and his win feels personal. You’ll root for his Vir throughout.
Radhikka Madan delivers a confident performance. This is no easy role but she comes out with flying colours. Paresh Rawal is superb as the antagonist. One can’t help but hate him for his actions. Prakash Belawadi lends able support. R Sarathkumar (Nedumaran; Vir’s commanding officer in IAF), Anil Charanjeett (Mandar), Iravati Harshe Mayadev (Chitra; All India Radio) and the actor playing Vir’s father are lovely in supporting roles. Seema Biswas leaves a huge mark, especially in the flashback scene. Krishnakumar Balasubramanian (Chaitanya Rao) and Saurabh Goyal (Sam) are decent. Jay Upadhyay (Rani’s mama) raises a few laughs. Rahul Vohra (Shashank Deshmukh; DGCA official) is fair. Suriya is dashing in a cameo.
Sarfira: Analysis
G V Prakash Kumar’s music is well inserted in the narrative but the soundtrack lacks a hit song. All songs – ‘Maar Udi’, ‘Khudaya, ‘Saare Ki’, ‘De Taali’, ‘Chaawat’, ‘Dhokha’and ‘Ye Kahani’ are soulful and nice compositions, nevertheless. G V Prakash Kumar’s background score is exhilarating.
Niketh Bommi’s cinematography is spectacular. Falguni Thakore’s costumes are realistic. Arvind Ashok Kumar and Bindiya Chhabria’s production design are authentic. ANL Arasu and Parvez Shaikh’s action is minimal and quite good. NY VFXWaala, The VFX Triangle Studio’s VFX is appealing. Sathish Suriya’s editing could have been tighter.
Sarfira: Verdict
On the whole, Sarfira tells an inspiring story in an engaging manner and rests on Akshay Kumar’s strong performance. At the box office, its prospects would be greatly limited due to a niche subject, remake of a popular film and limited buzz. It will, therefore, do ordinary business.
Sarfira: Rating
Critics Rating: 3.5/5
Box Office Rating: 2/5
(Also read: Suriya & Jyotika THANK Akshay Kumar For Sarfira: ‘You Made Veer Come Alive So Beautifully’)
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