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Sarfira
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Sudha Kongara
Screenplay by	Sudha Kongara Shalini Ushadevi
Dialogue by	Pooja Tolani
Story by	G. R. Gopinath
Based on	Soorarai Pottru by Sudha Kongara
Produced by	Aruna Bhatia Vikram Malhotra Jyothika Suriya
Starring	Akshay Kumar Paresh Rawal Radhika Madan
Cinematography	Niketh Bommireddy
Edited by	Sathish Suriya
Music by	G. V. Prakash Kumar
Production companies	Abundantia Entertainment 2D Entertainment Cape Of Good Films
Distributed by	Pen Marudhar Entertainment
Release date	12 July 2024 (2024-07-12)
Running time	153 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹80 crore
Box office	est. ₹30.02 crore

Sarfira (transl. Crazy) is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Sudha Kongara and produced by 2D Entertainment, Abundantia Entertainment and Cape Of Good Films starring Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal and Radhika Madan. It is a remake of Kongara's Tamil film Soorarai Pottru (2020), which itself was an adaptation of G. R. Gopinath's memoir Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey. The film follows a man who sets out to make affordable airlines for low income people, which several enemies try to impede.

The remake was officially announced in July 2021 as Project 1, marking the maiden venture of 2D Entertainment in Hindi, and the official title was announced in February 2024. Principal photography commenced in April 2022. The film has music composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar. It marks Akshay Kumar's 150th film in a leading role.

Sarfira was released in theatres worldwide on 12 July 2024. It received mixed reviews from critics who praised Kumar's performance. The film was a box office bomb.

Plot

Sarfira tells the tale of Vir Jagannath Mhatre, a young man from a modest village in Maharashtra. His ambition is to launch a budget airline, aiming to break down economic and social barriers. Vir clashes with his father, a non-violent teacher whom he sees as hesitant, believing instead that direct action is necessary to effect change. Both father and son are visionaries in their own right, but their conflicting views on activism versus non-violence drive the narrative.

After an argument, Vir departs for the Indian Air Force but soon leaves, joined by two fellow trainees, to pursue his entrepreneurial dream. He pitches his airline concept to Paresh Goswami, a prominent figure in aviation, who initially mocks Vir but eventually becomes his rival. Despite repeated setbacks caused by corruption, bureaucracy, betrayal, and social divisions, Vir persists in his quest to launch his airline, which he humorously refers to as "udta hua Udupi hotel."

Back home, Vir finds support from his wife Rani, who shares his ambition and runs a successful bakery. Their mutual determination to follow their passions, disregarding societal expectations, strengthens their bond. The narrative cleverly establishes early on why Vir remains single and how Rani, after 20 rejections, finds a fitting partner in him.

Cast

• Akshay Kumar as Veer Jagannadh Mahatre, a pilot-turned-businessman
• Paresh Rawal as Paresh Goswami
• Radhika Madan as Rani Mahatre, Veer's wife
• Seema Biswas as Vir's mother
• R. Sarathkumar as Nedumaran, Vir's commanding officer in the Air Force
• Saurabh Goyal as Sam, Vir's friend from the Air Force
• Krishnakumar Balasubramanian as Chaitanya Rao, Vir's friend from the Air Force
• Iravati Harshe Mayadev as Chitra
• Anil Charanjeett as Mandar
• Prakash Belawadi as Prakash Babu
• Dan Dhanoa as Walia
• Rahul Vohra as Shashank Deshmukh
• Jay Upadhyay as Rani's uncle
• Raj Jadon as a Flight reporter
• Suriya as an unnamed silk businessman who invested money in Deccan Air (cameo appearance)

Production

Development

On 12 July 2021, Jyothika and Suriya, owners of 2D Entertainment, announced that their production venture Soorarai Pottru (2020), was to be remade in Hindi. Furthermore, they stated that the director of the original film, Sudha Kongara, would direct the remake and they would collaborate with Vikram Malhotra, of Abundantia Entertainment, to fund it. Reportedly, one of the actors Ajay Devgn, John Abraham, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan were considered to play the role that Suriya played in the original. The actor was reported to be finalised going by their availability. In August, the co-producer of the original film, Sikhya Entertainment, had approached Madras High Court; as initially the production house was to be co-producing the remake along with 2D Entertainment, however, the latter house sold the rights to Abundantia Entertainment, without the former houses' consent. By early September, the case was closed, with Sikhya Entertainment not involved in the production side. Akshay Kumar was announced on 25 April 2022 to reprise the role played by Suriya. A muhurat puja was held the same day in Mumbai with the presence of the film's cast and crew. Radhika Madan was cast, alongside Kumar. Paresh Rawal, who portrayed the antagonist in Tamil, reprises his role. The official title Sarfira was revealed on 13 February 2024, along with a release date of 12 July 2024.

Filming

Principal photography began with the first schedule on 25 April 2022 in Mumbai. Madan completed filming her portions by 23 October.

Music

The music of the film is composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar while Tanishk Bagchi and Suhit Abhyankar serve as guest composers. The lyrics are written by Manoj Muntashir, Shloke Lal and Tanishk Bagchi. In April 2022, Prakash tweeted that he had completed the first song of the soundtrack. The film marks G. V. Prakash Kumar's second collaboration with Sudha after Soorarai Pottru and his second collaboration with Akshay Kumar after Joker. The music rights were obtained by Junglee Music.

The first single titled "Maar Udi" was released on 24 June 2024. And the second song titled "Khudaya" released on 27 June 2024.

Release

Theatrical

Initially the film was planned to release on 1 September 2023 and later 16 February 2024. It was finally released in theatres on 12 July 2024.

Home media

The film was premiered on Disney+ Hotstar from 11 October 2024.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 42% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10.

Bollywood Hungama gave 2.5/5 and wrote "On the whole, Sarfira tells an inspiring story in an engaging manner and rests on Akshay Kumar's strong performance." Titas Chowdhury of News18 rated the film 4.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Sudha Kongara's retelling of Soorarai Pottru is as sublime as the original. Sarfira is Akshay Kumar's best performance in recent years." Tushar Joshi of India Today rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Akshay Kumar delights you with his earnest performance" Lachmi Deb Roy of Firstpost rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote, "An inspirational film that will make you cry and clap at the same time!"

Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com rated 2/5 stars and observed "Throughout its 155 minutes, every scene is doused in blaring background music and melodrama. Disappointment alone won't do, it must feel like a full blown catastrophe."

Rishil Jogani of Pinkvilla rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote "Sudha Kongara, Akshay Kumar and Radhikka Madan breach 'Sarfira' heights with their deeply moving and delightfully inspiring aviation-drama, that warrants a watch on the big screen. Don't miss it." Sonal Pandya of Times Now rated the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "Akshay Kumar's Underdog Remake Retains Its Emotional Impact." Pratikshya Mishra of The Quint rated the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "Akshay Kumar Truly Gets To Explore His Range After a Long Time."

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the film 2/5, criticizing the chemistry between Akshay Kumar and Radhika Madan as lacking the compelling quality seen in the performances of Suriya and Aparna Balamurali. According to Chatterjee, this shortcoming affects the film's overall effectiveness. Other elements of the film, such as its direction and technical aspects, have been discussed by critics, resulting in a generally mixed reception from audiences and reviewers.

Dhaval Roy of the Times of India rated the film 3.5 stars out of 5.

Shubhra Gupta of Indian Express rated 2.5/5 and wrote, "The film is only interested in fronting its hero. Akshay Kumar, who is in practically every frame of the film, isn't actively terrible, but he doesn't do anything here that he hasn't done before.

Box office

Sarfira performed poorly at the box office, earning ₹2.5 crore (US$290,000) on the opening day. The film has grossed ₹ 26.3 crore domestically and ₹30.02 crore worldwide. Trade analysts attributed the underperformance to poor marketing and viewers already having seen the original film online.

References

1. "Sarfira (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 8 July 2024. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
2. "Sarfira advance booking: Kumar-starrer mints Rs 24 lakh, sells 12k tickets". Business Standard. 11 July 2024. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
3. "Sarfira Box Office Collection". Bollywood Hungama. 12 July 2024. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
4. "'Sarfira' review: Akshay Kumar's 'Soorarai Pottru' remake gets a thumbs up from fans". The Economic Times. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
5. "Suriya to play a cameo role in the Hindi remake of 'Soorarai Pottru'". The Times of India. 14 June 2022. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
6. "Suriya's Soorarai Pottru to be remade in Hindi". The Times of India. 12 July 2021. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
7. "Are Ajay Devgn, John Abraham, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan being considered for Soorarai Pottru remake?". The Times of India. 12 July 2021. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
8. "Madras High Court passes stay order on Hindi remake of Suriya's Tamil film Soorarai Pottru". The Times of India. 5 August 2021. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
9. "'Soorarai Pottru' Hindi remake gets clearance from Madras High Court". The Times of India. 8 September 2021. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
10. "Suriya attends pooja of Akshay Kumar's Soorarai Pottru's Hindi remake". The Times of India. 25 April 2022. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
11. "Radhika Madan announces new film 'Rumi Ki Sharafat', starts filming". The Times of India. 27 January 2023. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
12. "Paresh Rawal confirms Akshay Kumar has signed Soorarai Pottru's Hindi remake as he opens up about his upcoming film Gujarati film Dear Father". Free Press Journal. 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
13. ^ "'Sarfira': Akshay's Hindi remake of 'Soorarai Pottru' title announced, film to release on this date". The Times of India. 13 February 2024. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
14. "Akshay Kumar starts shooting for 'Soorarai Pottru' Hindi remake". The Times of India. 25 April 2022. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
15. "Radhika Madan wraps filming of 'Soorarai Pottru' remake". The Times of India. 23 October 2022. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
16. "GV Prakash completes first song for Akshay Kumar-starrer Soorarai Pottru remake". The Times of India. 29 April 2022. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
17. "Sarfira: Producer Vikram Malhotra shares details about the Akshay Kumar starrer's album; says, "We aim to deliver a soundtrack that captures the mood and emotion of our film"". Bollywood Hungama. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
18. "Sarfira first song Maar Udi: Akshay Kumar works hard to achieve his goal, refuses to give up. Watch". Hindustan Times. 24 June 2024. Archived from the original on 24 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
19. "Khudaya Song Sarfira: মুক্তি পেল 'সরফিরা'র 'খুদায়া'". 27 June 2024. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
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21. "Sarfira". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
22. Hungama, Bollywood (12 July 2024). "Sarfira Movie Review: SARFIRA tells an inspiring story in an engaging manner". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
23. "Sarfira Review: A Masterclass On Commercial Cinema; Akshay Kumar, The Actor, Is Finally Back". News18. 11 July 2024. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
24. "'Sarfira' Review: Akshay Kumar soars high in this real-life drama". India Today. 11 July 2024. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
25. "Akshay Kumar & Suriya's Sarfira Movie Review: An inspirational film that will make you cry and clap at the same time!". Firstpost. 11 July 2024. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
26. Verma, Sukanya (11 July 2024). "Sarfira Review: Akshay Does It Again! Yawn". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
27. "Sarfira Review: Akshay Kumar and Radhikka Madan's inspiring aviation-drama breaches unfathomable heights". PINKVILLA. 11 July 2024. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
28. "Sarfira Movie Review: Akshay Kumar's Underdog Remake Retains Its Emotional Impact". Times Now. 11 July 2024. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
29. Mishra, Pratikshya (11 July 2024). "'Sarfira' Review: Akshay Kumar Truly Gets To Explore His Range After a Long Time". TheQuint. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
30. "Sarfira Review: Akshay Kumar's Film Does Not Exactly Soar Above The Clouds". www.ndtv.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
31. "Sarfira Movie Review : Akshay Kumar soars in this inspirational tale of grit and determination". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
32. "Sarfira movie review: Akshay Kumar stars in creaky melodrama that'll remind you of a 60s weepie". The Indian Express. 12 July 2024. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
33. "Sarfira Box Office". Bollywood Hungama. 10 August 2024. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
34. "Akshay Kumar's Sarfira Doesn't Live Up To Expectations". NDTV. 15 July 2024. Archived from the original on 9 September 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.

External links

• Sarfira at IMDb 
• Sarfira at Bollywood Hungama

• 2024 films
• 2020s Hindi-language films
• 2020s Indian films
• 2024 drama films
• Drama films based on actual events
• Films about aviators
• Films based on autobiographies
• Films based on memoirs
• Films directed by Sudha Kongara
• Films scored by G. V. Prakash Kumar
• Films shot in Mumbai
• Hindi remakes of Tamil films
• Indian Air Force in films
• Indian aviation films
• Indian drama films
• Indian films based on actual events