Sarfira (2024): The Crash Flight Of The Common Man

Fasten your seatbelts because it’s time for the common man from India to reach sky-high! Written and directed by Sudha Kongara, the craze turns wild with “Sarfira”! Witness the madness and hunger of the common man to achieve his dream in an ocean of obstacles, his own Airline! Starring the “Khiladi” Akshay Kumar, Sarfira hits your nearest theaters on July 12, 2024.

Experience The Spirit of Sarfira with Bollywood Star… Akshay Kumar!

Sarfira (2024) Official Trailer:

The Good:

I have to appreciate Bollywood’s idea of showcasing an inspiring true story of an underdog who bars all obstacles and achieves his dream. The dedication, perseverance, and enthusiasm shown by the lead character Vir Mhatre (played by Akshay Kumar) in achieving his business goal are indispensable. This true story can motivate many. If you have lost hope about achieving something you dreamt of, then you must visit your nearest theaters and consider watching this inspirational movie.

The visuals in Sarfira have a rustic appeal. Many dialogues in Sarfira are thought-provoking. For example, in a dialogue, Akshay tells Paresh Rawal, “Sir, Main Chahta Hoon Aam Aadmi Aasmaan Choo Sake”, which means, “Sir, I want every common man to touch the sky”. And I have to tell you, the combo of Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal in itself drives audiences to theaters. They both have a glorious past together in the history of Hindi cinema. Paresh Rawal as an actor is outstanding. His comical punches in his villainous business tycoon character add life to the screenplay. South’s superstar Suriya has a sensational cameo in Sarfira and the pairing of Akshay with Suriya was indeed delightful. And why not have a cameo? After all, Suriya and his wife Jyothika are co-producers of this movie.

The Bad:

If you want to witness your favorite “Khiladi” cry like a baby, then this movie may appeal to you. You may be amazed that according to reports, Akshay didn’t use glycerin for his emotional scenes. He said that he used to recall the event of his father’s demise and that made him really cry and shoot the emotional scenes!

This emotional drama is based on a real-life personality G.R. Gopinath who founded Air Deccan, India’s first low-cost affordable airline for the common man. Akshay plays his character but is named Vir Mhatre here who is an Air Force pilot-turned-businessman who dreams of opening his own airline. This 2-hour and 35-minute drama is laden with emotions and has Akshay crying frequently. Mhatre had to face emotional, financial, and logistical hardships such as his opinion clash with his father, setbacks driven by corruption, bureaucracy, and betrayal; and worst of all, rivalry with a powerful aviation mogul (played by Paresh Rawal). I would say that having a superstar like Akshay, who is known for being a daredevil action hero, crying like a kid amidst personal, family-related, and career-related challenges can be unacceptable for many. People just don’t seem to enjoy watching him that way!

Moreover, the aging Akshay, in certain scenes, has looked horrible in his character of Vir Mhatre. I bet the filmmakers wanted to show that he is toiling hard to set up his dream airline but showing him in an unkempt style with messy hair, a face full of graying beard, and shabby clothes is just not right. Even a well-groomed man can work hard and achieve his dreams. In the quest of making one’s dream come true, you need not show the central character in such a shabby and unkempt look. Indeed, Akshay Kumar is one of the most handsome actors in Bollywood and was the heartthrob of every Indian actress once upon a time. But just look at how he has been depicted in this movie. People may despise the character he is playing just because of his awkward appearance.

Akshay Kumar and Radhika Madan in the romantic track “Saare Ki” from Sarfira

The biggest drawback of Sarfira is that it is a carbon copy of the 2020 Tamil film “Soorarai Pottru” which stars South’s sensation Suriya. That Tamil film too was written and directed by Sudha Kongara. Even the casting was the same with Paresh Rawal as the villain who played the lead character’s rival businessman. The only difference between Soorarai Pottru and Sarfira is in place of Suriya it’s Akshay Kumar. And disappointingly, Akshay in this Bollywood remake just doesn’t seem to match the vibe and hype of Suriya. I don’t know why, but maybe because Akshay has become too old to match the chemistry with his co-star Radhika Madan, or maybe because of his weird unkempt look in the movie, or even maybe because he has been made to cry like a kid which just doesn’t suit his personality.

I believe Sudha Kongara has made a big mistake by remaking Soorarai Pottru as Sarfira in Bollywood. It’s because many people had already watched that Suriya-starring Tamil drama and this Bollywood remake has nothing new for them. Shot by shot it is an exact copy of that film. Also, the Hindi-dubbed version of Soorarai Pottru is already available on Netflix. People who don’t understand Tamil can very well watch the Hindi version of Soorarai Pottru. Then why waste your time, energy, and money to watch that same movie in theaters that has been remade by Bollywood? If you want to watch it just to see Akshay, then you are most welcome!

The Verdict:

Even if Sarfira is a motivational story based on businessman G.R. Gopinath’s memoir “Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey”, it won’t work out at the Box office. Unfortunately, the film also suffered because nothing much had been done to promote it before its release. This exciting flight for the common man may have succeeded in gaining altitude, but it simply crash lands!

Even if the story of Sarfira is appealing and inspiring, it won’t influence you. You may feel lost upon knowing the real story. The fact is, India’s low-cost airline, Air Deccan had shut down long back. So what if it was a flourishing airline business once? Where is it now? People get inspiration from the things that leave their mark but sadly, Air Deccan didn’t. Just as that business didn’t succeed, similarly, this emotionally inspiring drama wouldn’t.

The bad news is that the aging Akshay tested COVID-19 positive after this film’s release. This is the third time he has been detected with COVID-19. Hope he recovers soon in good health and continues entertaining us with his movies.