SARFIRA tells an inspiring story in an engaging manner

Sarfira Review {2.5/5} & Review Rating

Director: Sudha Kongara 

Sarfira Movie Review Synopsis:
SARFIRA is the story of a man and his impossible dream. The year is 1998. Vir Mhatre (Akshay Kumar) lives in the village of Jarendeshwar, Maharashtra, that too at the outskirts. Rani (Radhikka Madan) visits him for an arranged marriage. Vir tells her that it’s his dream to start India’s first low-cost airline. However, he has been unsuccessful since no bank is willing to loan him a huge amount. Rani is interested in Vir but makes it clear that she’ll marry if he manages to excel in his endeavour. Vir, meanwhile, continues to work towards his goal. His idol is Paresh Goswami (Paresh Rawal), owner of Jaz Airlines. Vir’s attempts to meet him prove futile. Hence, he spends all his money on booking a business class ticket on the same flight in which Paresh is travelling. Vir meets Paresh mid-air and proposes his idea. Paresh rejects it as he feels that his clientele would not be comfortable travelling with the common man. Prakash Babu (Prakash Belawadi) of Fundflow Ventures happens to be on the same flight. He shows interest in Vir’s idea. Vir convinces the board at Fundflow that his airline company can make profit through out-of-the-box measures. All is going well for him until one day, he gets the shock of his life. 

Sarfira Movie Story Review:
SARFIRA is inspired by the book ‘Simply Fly – A Deccan Odyssey’. Sudha Kongara’s story is fascinating. Sudha Kongara and Shalini Ushadevi’s screenplay is gripping though it has some loose ends. Pooja Tolani’s dialogues are sharp.

Sudha Kongara’s direction is effective. She tells an inspiring story, that too which not many are aware of as to how low-cost air travel began in India. The film is peppered with entertaining and dramatic moments that keep the interest going like the intro scene, Vir’s first meeting with Paresh Goswami on the flight, Vir explaining the idea of low-cost travel to Prakash Babu in an Udipi restaurant etc. The scene of Vir struggling to collect money to reach home and the scene thereafter is heartbreaking. The intermission point is unexpected. The final 15 minutes are sure to make the eyes of the viewers moist.

On the flipside, the film drops in places, especially in the second half. The romantic track is sweet but it also lengthens the narrative. The APJ Abdul Kalam scene is overdramatic. In the original film, it was far more realistic. Also, it’s a film mainly for the urban audience and not for the masses. A large section of moviegoers would not be interested in knowing about what went into the origin of India’s low-cost air carrier. 

Sarfira – Official Trailer | Akshay Kumar | Paresh Rawal | Radhika Madan

Sarfira Movie Performances:
Akshay Kumar is superb and his performance is rich in emotions. He excels in the funny and dramatic scenes but watch out for him in the emotional sequences; he’s something else. Radhikka Madan delivers a confident performance. This is no easy role but she comes out with flying colours. Paresh Rawal is superb as the antagonist. One can’t help but hate him for his actions. Prakash Belawadi lends able support. R Sarathkumar (Nedumaran; Vir’s commanding officer in IAF), Anil Charanjeett (Mandar), Iravati Harshe Mayadev (Chitra; All India Radio) and the actor playing Vir’s father are lovely in supporting roles. Seema Biswas leaves a huge mark, especially in the flashback scene. Krishnakumar Balasubramanian (Chaitanya Rao) and Saurabh Goyal (Sam) are decent. Jay Upadhyay (Rani’s mama) raises a few laughs. Rahul Vohra (Shashank Deshmukh; DGCA official) is fair. Suriya is dashing in a cameo. 

Sarfira movie music and other technical aspects:
G V Prakash Kumar’s music is well inserted in the narrative but the soundtrack lacks a hit song. All songs – ‘Maar Udi’, ‘Khudaya, ‘Saare Ki’, ‘De Taali’, ‘Chaawat’, ‘Dhokha’and ‘Ye Kahani’ are soulful and nice compositions, nevertheless. G V Prakash Kumar’s background score is exhilarating.

Niketh Bommi’s cinematography is spectacular. Falguni Thakore’s costumes are realistic. Arvind Ashok Kumar and Bindiya Chhabria’s production design are authentic. ANL Arasu and Parvez Shaikh’s action is minimal and quite good. NY VFXWaala, The VFX Triangle Studio’s VFX is appealing. Sathish Suriya’s editing could have been tighter. 

Sarfira Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, SARFIRA tells an inspiring story in an engaging manner and rests on Akshay Kumar’s strong performance. At the box office, its prospects would be greatly limited due to a niche subject and limited buzz. It will, therefore, do ordinary business.