Chennai: “With ‘Soorarai Pottru’, we want to bring out the message that nothing in this world can stop you from chasing your dreams if you are true to yourself and dedicated to the task”, says actor Suriya.
The movie is inspired by the book āSimply Flyā, which outlines the journey of a young boy, who went from riding a bullock cart to owning an airline. Directed by Sudha Kongara, the film is jointly produced by Suriya’s 2D Entertainment and Guneet Monga’s Sikhya Entertainment. Aparna Balamurali plays the heroine. It also features Paresh Rawal, Jackie Shroff and Mohan Babu in Important roles.
Soorarai PottruĀ Ā will be released on 12 November as part ofĀ Deepavali celebrations on Amazon Prime.
Speaking to News Today in a virtual interview, Suriya says, ” Soorarai Pottru is very close to my heart. We did not treat it as a bio-pic. Inspired by Simply Fly, we made a strong script. Sudha kept improvising it and gave her the best.”
Excerpts from his interview:
Q: Tell us about your travel with Soorarai Pottru.Ā
A: We felt the story needs to be told. There were very few people who changed the face of India. This is the story of a man who made even a person in a remote village fly. Sudha wanted it to be as real as possible and at the same time not lose the entertainment values we see in cinema. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process of filmmaking. I love to give intensity on screen. But Sudha brought it out in a way I never did before.
Q: Why did you choose to work with Sudha?
A: After watchingĀ Sethu I desperately wanted to work with Bala. So was my feel after seeing Irudhi Suttru, helmed by Sudha. The movie had so much impact on me that even now I say to both Sudha and Madhavan, I thank Irudhi Suttru which compelled me to do Soorarai Pottru.
Q: What were the challenges you faced doing Soorarai Pottru?
A: I always relate experiences from my personal life when I act. That would give me more confidence. I am not such a spontaneous actor, who get under the skin of a character straight away and perform. Sudha personally knew me well and we discussed a lot before shooting each scene. That gave me confidence. It was a joy to be as real as possible to the character as visioned by Sudha.
Q: Heard you appear as teenager in a few scenes in Soorarai Pottru. How did you pull it off?
A: Appearing as 18-year-old is not easy for someone in early 40s. I did not have an option and hence pushed to do it. It was a sweet challenge. When you have confidence on your health and fitness, follow a discipline regularly, it in some ways becomes easy to get you ready to play the role well on screen. You work out 80 per cent regularly and suddenly you need to give 100 per cent for the character is not at all difficult.
Q: How do you see a big movie like Soorarai PottruĀ releasing on OTT?
A: We will miss theatrical experience no doubt. But today’s situation (Covid) has led us to opt for a digital release.