Sudha Kongara reveals why she remade Soorarai Pottru in Hindi as Sarfira with Akshay Kumar

MUMBAI: Starring Suriya and Aparna Balamurali in the lead roles, the 2020 Tamil drama film Soorarai Pottru was one of the most critically acclaimed Indian films in the recent years. The director Sudha Kongara has remade her own Tamil movie in Hindi as Sarfira with Akshay Kumar and Radhikka Madan. Ahead of its release on July 12, Sudha has revealed why she decided to remake her own film and why she chose Akshay Kumar to lead the upcoming film.

Also read - Must Read! All you need to know about Sudha Kongara, known to be among India’s best directors, has helmed blockbusters like Soorarai Pottru, Drohi, among others

Talking to Mid-Day, Sudha said, "Not all films lend themselves to remakes. But when they embody certain qualities and universal themes, they add richness to contemporary cinema as they allow powerful stories to reach new audiences and cultural contexts. Soorarai Pottru reached a wide audience on OTT, but I wanted to see it on the big screen. Adapting it for the Hindi movie-going audience gave me the opportunity to do that." The Tamil film skipped the theatrical release due to Covid-19 pandemic and premiered on Amazon Prime Video.

The filmmaker said that she couln't imagine anyone other than Akshay Kumar to lead Sarfira as she told the portal, "Akshay Kumar is one of the Indian film industry’s biggest stars, and I was confident of his ability to make the role his own. It’s very hard for me to imagine anyone other than Akshay in this role, and when you watch the film, you will know why. I believe Sarfira is one of his most moving performances. There is a certain aura, charm and vulnerability that he brought to Vir Jagannath Mhatre. This role seemed tailor-made for him because there is a lot of Vir in Akshay."

Also read - Get Ready to Take Flight and Chase Your Dreams with Akshay Kumar’s Sarfira! Trailer Out Now!

Sarfira will clash at the box office with Kamal Haasan-starrer Shankar's vigilante action thriller Indian 2 on July 12. The latter is the sequel to the blockbuster Indian released in 1996. Apart from Haasan, it also stars Siddharth, Rakul Preet Singh, SJ Suryah, and Bobby Simha among others in pivotal roles.

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Credits - DNA