SURARAI POTTRU INDIA 's first movie to win 6 national awards

Sudha Kongara's Tamil film 'Soorarai Pottru' emerged the big winner at the 68th National Film Awards on Friday. Inspired by events narrated in the book 'Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey', by Air Deccan founder Capt G R Gopinath, the film won top honours including awards for best film and male (Suriya) and female (Aparna Balamurali) actors.

Deccan Herald Deccan Herald 

 Capt Gopinath' Soorarai Pottru' is about spirit prostrating adversity 

 Capt Gopinath' Soorarai Pottru' is about spirit prostrating adversity 

 21hr00 

Sudha Kongara's Tamil film' Soorarai Pottru' surfaced the big winner at the 68th National Film Awards on Friday. Inspired by events recited in the book' Simply Fly A Deccan Odyssey', by Air Deccan author Capt G R Gopinath, the film won top honours including awards for stylish film and joker( Suriya) and womanish( Aparna Balamurali) actors. 

Captain G R Gopinath 

 After the film's OTT release in November, 2020, Capt Gopinath had lauded the film for its sensitive depiction of his struggles to set his low- cost airline in stir amid hostile competition, battling a underprivileged background and a series of lapses. He spoke with Showtime on the film and its story, how it celebrates the triumph of mortal spirit and how it could shape the lives of men and women who power their dreams with courage and perseverance. Extracts from an interview 

 

 Soorarai Pottru' has won big at the National Film Awards, including the big prize for stylish film. 

 I am absolutely thrilled. Any recognition brings joy and it's also heartening to see Suriya and Aparna win. 

 

 How has this film reverberated with the bystander? Do you see this as an inspirational story first, encouraging romanticists to do? 

 This is a story of succeeding against odds; it's about spirit prostrating adversity. 

 

 A lot of people wanted me to write this story because what it included was unbelievable for that time( the dislocation brought to a capital- ferocious assiduity). Yes, it's inspirational in that it connects with economically backward sections of the society. It tells people who feel underprivileged to not lose themselves in that cynicism. There, of course, is dramatisation in the film but it's done without losing the substance of the story. 

 This has been a career high for Suriya as an actor. 

 

 He worked considerably on the film. He read the book five or six times and we had a series of exchanges; he wanted to go deep into the character. 

 At the time of the film's release, you had said this is also the story of the woman

 ( Bommi, played by Aparna in the film).