Director Sudha Kongara Prasad is all set to tell the story of G. R. Gopinath, founder of Air Deccan who revolutionalised air travel in India, through Sarfira. Starring Akshay Kumar, the director has adapted Gopinath’s memoir Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey for the big screen. While fans are eager to see Akshay play the part, this is not the first time that the filmmaker is telling the story. She narrated Gopinath’s story in the National Award winning Tamil film Soorarai Pottru, with Suriya in the lead. What prompted her to remake the film in Hindi? The answer, she told News18 Showsha exclusively, is Raju Hirani and Paresh Rawal.
In an exclusive chat with us, Sudha revealed that the idea to make the Hindi version of the story was birthed long before the Tamil version even released. She said that Paresh Rawal batted for the film to be made in Hindi and once the film was complete, Raju Hirani also encouraged Sudha to make the film for the Hindi audience.
“I always show my films to Raju Hirani and I remember taking Soorarai Pottru to Raju sir in Mumbai, on March 19, 2020, just before the lockdown. When I had certain doubts, I ask him. I had one particular doubt so I wanted the answer [from him]. I took the film to him, he saw it and he really, really liked the film. He said that we should do it in Hindi. He also said he would come on board in any capacity and we should do it in Hindi. He immediately called Suriya and [pitched the idea]," Sudha said.
“He kept saying we could get any actor you want, we’ll do it in any which way that you want but you should direct the film and we should do it in Hindi. I told Suriya about it but at that point, I didn’t take it seriously," she confessed.
However, Paresh Rawal, Raju Hirani and others involved took it seriously. So much so that the word about the film quickly spread in the Hindi film industry and actors began queueing in front of Sudha’s doorstep. A few even reached out to Guneet Monga, who co-produced the Tamil version under her production house Sikhya Entertainment, with the hope to make and star in the Hindi version of the film.
“Actors were approaching us, there were also several actors who were approaching Guneet. One of the main reasons so many stars were approaching us was Paresh sir. From the minute he heard the story, he said, ‘This is a Hindi film. This is a Pan-Indian film. You have to do it in Hindi.’ He would say it throughout the filming of Soorarai Pottru. He will read his dialogues, he would look at me and say ‘But you should make this in Hindi.’ I think it was always there. But it crystalised when Akshay sir reached out to us, Vikram (Malhotra, of Abundantia Entertainment) reached out to us. From there on, there was no looking back," Sudha recalled.
Conincidentally, Paresh also reprises his role as the competitive airline owner who causes a roadbloack in the film. Check out the trailer below:
Written by Sudha and Shalini Ushadevi, with dialogues by Pooja Tolani, and a G.V. Prakash Kumar musical, Sarfira is produced by Aruna Bhatia (Cape of Good Films), South superstars Suriya and Jyotika (2D Entertainment) and Vikram Malhotra (Abundantia Entertainment). Mark your calendars for July 12th as ‘Sarfira’ takes you on an exhilarating journey of ambition, determination, and the relentless pursuit of dreams.
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