Suriya, Aparna, Sudha Kongara wins make it an out-and-out Soorarai Pottru day at the National Film Awards

Since the pandemic began in 2020, the National Film Awards couldn’t be awarded, with the ceremony getting postponed till this year. Tamil film Soorarai Pottru dominated the Feature Films category, taking home awards for the Best Feature Film, Best Actor (Suriya), Best Actress (Aparna Balamurali) and Best Screenplay (Sudha Kongara, Shalini Ushadevi, Aalif Surti Ganeshaa). 

The Suriya-starrer directed by Sudha Kongara was a huge hit at the time of its digital release on Amazon Prime Video. Based on the life of Indian aviation pioneer GR Gopinath, Soorarai Pottru dramatised his journey of founding Simplify Deccan, India’s first low-cost carrier. Even though it is now defunct, Simplify Deccan attracted a middle-class demographic with fares that were way lower when compared to other mainstream airlines. 

Suriya played the former Indian Air Force captain-turned-airline founder Nedumaaran Rajangam (inspired by GR Gopinath) while Aparna Balamurali appeared as his wife Sundari "Bommi" Nedumaaran. The win is a crucial victory for a regional star like Suriya who has received his first National Film Award today. 

The Best Actor award was also shared with Ajay Devgn, who bagged the top honour for playing the titular character in the historical drama Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior. The Hindi film also won the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. 

Having garnered a dedicated fandom in Tamil Nadu, Soorarai Pottru proved to be a big hit for Suriya's career despite the pandemic. In fact, the film was also one of the ten Indian films to be screened for consideration at the Golden Globes (in Best Foreign Film category). It was also screened for consideration at the 93rd Academy Awards but was eventually not nominated. 

This is also Aparna Balamurali’s first win at the National Film Awards. The actress and singer has predominantly acted in Malayalam films earlier, and Soorarai Pottru was her third Tamil venture. 

Additionally, other major winners included the Malayalam film AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum which bagged a posthumous Best Director win for the late Sachidanandan KR and Best Supporting Actor for Biju Menon.