Soorarai Pottru – An Inspiring Underdog Story!
| English Title | Praise the Brave |
| Language | Tamil (India) |
| Runtime | 2h 33m |
| Genre | Biopic/Drama |
| Rating | TV-MA (Mild Profanity) |
Big things have small beginnings! There is nothing like a well-made underdog movie. You root for the person all the way through their passion, struggle and success! Nothing is easy as it looks. We can’t imagine the struggle it takes to achieve something unless we stand in their shoes.
Loosely based on ‘Simply Fly’, the biography of Captain Gopinath, Soorarai Pottru tells the story of an individual’s dream to make the common man ‘fly’!
Soorarai Pottru stars Suriya in the lead role as ‘Nedumaaran Rajangam’ known to his close ones as ‘Maara’. Born in a remote village to a ‘teacher’ father and a ‘stay at home’ mother, Maara is depicted as a hot-head revolutionary who is completely contrasting to his non-violence preaching father. The movie presents Maara as a former Airforce Captain who wants to start an airline company which is affordable to everyone at a very low price.
Soorarai Pottru personifies the say – ‘Don’t Give Up!’ through a memorable performance from Suriya. The intensity of his performance has shades of ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’. He effortlessly carries the movie on his shoulders. Aparna Balamurali as ‘Bommi’, the love interest of Maara is impressive and the chemistry between the two is great. Thankfully, she is not casted as the typical silly eye candy heroine, but a bold independent woman who has dreams of her own. Urvasi as Maara’s mother is excellent and reminds everyone as to how versatile an actress she is.
Soorarai Pottru is not a one-man show all the way. Maara gets good support from his wife. Bommi supports him emotionally as well as helping him with her money, from her small bakery business when he is desperately in need of funds. His friends from the Army also offer support in pursuing his dreams. Soorarai Pottru also explores caste as a theme and has direct and indirect references to the same. The Economy-Business class works as a metaphor here.
Soorarai Pottru is visually good, neatly told by Sudha Kongara. The background score from GV Prakash amplifies the intense sequences. The movie has some fine moments. The opening sequence is intense, the scene where Maara needs to get a ticket to fly home, the scene with his mother, outburst with Bommi and her retort, all are good!
Soorarai Pottru has all the elements of a Commercial Tamil Cinema with songs and dance sequences. The movie lacks subtlety at times and is over dramatized for my liking. The visual effects could have been better. The negative characters are clichéd and the main villain is one-note, with nothing interesting to offer.
However, Soorarai Pottru as a whole package, is a feel-good heart-warming movie which can be enjoyed by all. You can watch it on Amazon Prime.
This movie is an ode to Common man!
Have you read my review on Classic Malayalam Movie? Read here
Image Source: 2D Entertainment
IMDB
Video and Image credits: YouTube
26 Comments
Divin
Apt review for the movie. I could recollect the important moments of the moments through this read
Prakash Thampi
Thank you Divin 😊
Rajesh
Your last paragraph summarised it well Prakash. The movie is over dramatized for my liking as well. Many scenes were spoon-fed to the audience which felt very amateurish. Also the villains felt forcefully made to be evil – probably they wanted a Ram Ravan feel considering the movie’s Deepavali release. I really think if they just kept it at how the businesses would ruthlessly try to kill competition, it would have been more impactful.
Prakash Thampi
Thanks Rajesh. Yes, felt the same while I was watching. Had these been taken care of, the movie would have been more impactful! Having said that, I guess its done intentionally to cater to a wider audience😊
Ratish Nair
Yes….as rightly written the movie is good to watch and Suriya has done a class act in the movie. As mentioned the CGI could have been improved, but may be budget constraints. On the whole your write up is good.
Prakash Thampi
Thanks bro 😊 yes, could be, but it was fine and those scenes were needed for the movie!
Ramesh Nair
Good review da. The clichéd villain and the drama as you said would be to attract a wider audience. Overall a good watch!
Prakash Thampi
Thanks bro😊Yes, but the overall movie is good with excellent performances from Suriya, aparna and urvasi 👌
Joyson
Well written Prakash! Impressed with the writing, very much sound like a seasoned analyst now! 😊.
I really liked that you pointed out the weaknesses of the movie as well which are to the point. For once I hope Suriya also thinks and chooses his movies and does less of super cop, super human movies!
Prakash Thampi
Thanks Joyson 😊 every movie will have its flaws and sometimes, its your perception well. This movie is good. If you haven’t seen it yet, do give it a try. A feel good movie for sure👍
NISANT
Well written content , the movie was engaging and captures the essence of struggle all the way to the climax. All characters , sMALL or big , felt their presence in the movie
Prakash Thampi
Thanks Nisant 😊 yes, a feel good movie
Jis Jerald
Aptly said on being over dramatized… Maybe it was needed but I too felt could have toned down a bit… And lots of clichéd aspects to characters… But all said one of the finest from surya…. Aparna balamurali was excellent and was a treat to watch… And Urvashi, what an actress man… The scene where she talks to surya after his father’s death, surya’s scene at the airport are beyond words… Apart from few minor faults it definitely is worth watching.. Great review by the way praks 👍🏼😊… U echoed the same sentiments i had on the movie
Prakash Thampi
Thanks Jis😊 Yes, barring the few cliches, its a good movie with excellent performances from Suriya, aparna and urvasi…a nice heartwarming movie 👌
Gayathri
As usual, 👌👏
Prakash Thampi
Thanks Gayathri 😊
Deepak Mohan
Such a comprehensive review as always, haven’t watched the movie yet , but now I know what to expect . Guess the movie doesn’t deserve the hype it’s been getting .
Prakash Thampi
Thanks Deepu😊 the movie is good. There are some excellent performances and its a feel-good one. You can definitely watch it👍 every movie can have its flaws, barring those, I loved it!
Pinchu Thomas
Prakash.. the review sums it up with my opinion on the movie being on the same line.. As you said, negative shade to me was not impressive, could have been better.. Aparna to me impressed with her acting stability…reminded me of her raw acting as in Mashentine Prathikaram.. Surya.. definitely is one of the actors.. I look forward for his movies to watch… Definitely, this one was better as compared to his recent past movies, which to me was too much to digest it… He has it in him, need to focus on which helps him challenge his acting abilities.. Good review points!..Happy writing.,,😊
Prakash Thampi
Thanks Pinchu 😊 Yes, barring those, the movie was good. The 3 main characters were excellent and the movie was engaging! Would have made some compromises to cater to a wider audience. But the core theme worked out well. A good watch!
Sita
Excellent review da…I jst watched it nd I luvd it ..brilliant performance by Surya nd most of the cast…your review is gonna make everyone watch the movie👍👍
Prakash Thampi
Thanks mami😊 Glad you guys enjoyed it 😊👍
Parvathy H A
I have not yet seen the movie and i think this review did it’s share to make me want to see it through a critics eye.
Let me watch and come back
Prakash Thampi
Thanks chechi😊Would love to hear your thoughts!
Keerthi
A good and honest review.. Way to go..
I didn’t see the caste aspect though.. Wasn’t it more about social status? Maybe i missed if 🤔
Prakash Thampi
Thanks Keerthi😊 there are elements which emphasizes on both aspects…