Cinema

'It started with my dad passing away': Sudha Kongara pens an emotional note after winning a National Award!

By alagu, 26 July, 2022
Sudha Kongara, Surya, Soorarai Pottru, National Film Awards

From a club of very few Indian women directors, Sudha Kongara is now a trendsetter for every aspirant pursuing filmmaking. The Tamil cinema industry takes a bow toward Kongara for breaking the barriers and lighting up the path of what has been a tough terrain for women filmmakers. She is now decorating a prestigious National Award for her masterpiece Soorarai Pottru, which took more awards than any other movie in the recently announced 68th National Film Awards. 

Earned prominence through her movie 'Irudhi Suttru', Sudha Kongara has become the talk of the town after she won a National Award for Soorarai Pottru in which Suriya played the lead role. Soorarai Pottru has become an iconic movie for the Tamil cinema as besides pioneering the OTT release, the movie has etched a perpetual place in the hearts of millions of fans. The movie was released in 2020 and it has become a significant movie in Suriya's acting career. 

While Soorarai Pottru was celebrated by the fans which are evident with the National Awards, Sudha Kongara's walk behind making the movie wasn't known in the public domain. For the first time since winning the National Award, Sudha Kongara has revealed that the journey of Soorarai Pottru started with her dad passing away. In her statement, she extended her gratitude to everyone involved in receiving a national honour. 

On Tuesday - July 26, Sudha Kongara took to Twitter and released a statement with the caption "For the loved ones on land and in the skies...heartfelt thanks." In her emotional note, Kongara penned, "The journey of this film started with my dad passing away. The last image of my father that I carry is of him gesturing to me from his bed to come to him as I stood in the doorway. I went back and added this as a scene in Soorarai Pottru. As filmmakers I guess most of us are finally just greedy voyeurs looking for those moments in our lives to put into our films." 

She wrote, "Thank you, dad, for the many moments from our lives I've put into Soorarai Pottru. My only regret at this moment of winning the awards is you not being there to see it. Thank you to my guru. What am I Mani sir without all that you have taught me? A zero. Thank you, Captain Gopinath and Surya. To you sirs...one for entrusting me with his life story and the other for living it on screen."

"Thank you to the producers and every member of the cast and crew of the film. There are no better words than Mahakavi Bharathiyar's that I can say to each and every one of you at this moment - 'Soorarai Pottru'. Thank you to my family. For having my back during my lowest of lows. You are my anchors. Thank you to my friends GV, Poornima, and Dr Vijay Shankar...My best buddies who always believed in me and never let me fall during this journey. You are my rocks", she added. 

She further wrote, "Thank you to my assistant directors. You are my fierce band of loyal warriors out there making my journey possible each time with every film. Thank you to the media. You have smacked me hard when I have faltered and failed and supported me even harder when I got something right. You will always remain my beacons. Above all, thank you to the audience. I finally watched the film in the theatres after nearly two years and your every cheer, every scream and every whistle gave me my closure for this film. You keep me alive. You keep me going. You are my Gods." 

"And finally a big shout out to all the filmmakers from my tribe out there. You struggle and yet you persevere and create against all odds. You make films that you want to make the way you want to, when you want to, how you want to, and with who you want to. You are blazing paths for many many young ladies out there to tread fearless in the near future!", Sudha Kongara added. 

Earlier, after announcing the award, Sudha Kongara has celebrated the glorious milestone with some of the crew of Soorarai Pottru. The movie has bagged five National Awards for Best Actor - Suriya,  Best Actress - Aparna Balamurali, Best Background score - GV Prakash Kumar, Best Feature film, and Best Screenplay - Sudha Kongara and Shalini Ushadevi. It is pertinent to note that it is the first time for Suriya, Aparna Balamurali, GV Prakash, and Sudha Kongara to win the National Awards. 

 

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