In a major disappointment for Suriya fans, Soorarai Pottru is out of the race at the Oscars 2021, for all of the categories it entered in – Best Actor, Suriya; Best Actress, Aparna Balamurali; Best Director, Sudha Kongara; Best Original Score, G.V. Prakash Kumar; and Best Film, among others. However, if we stop to think about it, we will realize that Soorarai Pottru may have dropped out of the Oscars, but it has scored some major wins in the areas that count.
For one, it has reacquainted the world with the wonders of Tamil cinema. The sheer diversity and size of Indian cinema means that Tamil films don’t always make it to the Oscars as India’s official entry. The last Tamil film to go to the Oscars was Vetrimaaran’s Visaranai in 2016. That was five years ago, long enough for people to forget that Indian cinema is not just Bollywood. Soorarai Pottru’s Oscar journey introduced a new generation of film enthusiasts to Tamil films.
Secondly, it put out the story of Captain Gopinath and his struggle to build India’s first low-cost airlines for the world to know about. A story as inspiring as Richard Branson’s Virgin Air story, but known to a meagre few. Soorarai Pottru’s Oscar tryst brought this uplifting, invigorating story in the world’s eye.
Lastly, Soorarai Pottru shattered a few misconceptions in the acting department too. Indian cinema for the world is only about Irrfan, and to a certain extent about Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan. Dhanush has just about made his presence felt after his The Gray Man casting. By entering into the race for Best Actor at the Oscars, Suriya has gotten a chance to introduce himself to the world at large. People who matter in the movie world know that an actor called Suriya is good enough to compete for the Oscar for Best Actor. That, according to us, is a major win for Suriya personally, and for Tamil and Indian cinema on the whole.
For these reasons alone, Soorarai Pottru will be a forever memorable film for Suriya and Indian film fans. And Soorarai Pottru may have lost the Oscars race, but aren’t these above mentioned wins worthy enough to gladden our hearts? Of course they are, says us!
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