It is not common for a filmmaker to remake their own movie, but only four years after Soorarai Pottru (2020), Sudha Kongara is ready with its Hindi adaptation, Sarfira. The Akshay Kumar-starrer is inspired by the life of Air Deccan founder GR Gopinath, who made air travel affordable for the common man. When asked what prompted her to revisit her National Award-winning film, Kongara says some stories ought to reach a wider audience. “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,” she smiles.

Soorarai Pottru won five National Awards