Meet the real-life Bommi played by Aparna Balamurali in ‘Soorarai Pottru'

With Aparna Balamurali winning the National award for Best actress, the spotlight once again turns back to her award-winning character Bommi in ‘Soorarai Pottru.’ Aparna’s character is based on Captain Gopinath’s (who introduced the concept of budget airlines in India) wife Bhargavi. Bhargavi became Bommi in the film. Though Bhargavi was Captain Gopinath’s biggest support system, she never gave up on her dreams and ambitions and created her own identity.

Though the film primarily focused on Captain Gopinath’s life, Bommi was never presented as a mere shadow to him. Bhargavi was like that in real life too. When Caption Gopinath marched towards making his dream project Air Deccan a reality, Bhargavi concentrated on the bakery business. Her Bun world & Iyengar bakery continues to be popular in Malleswaram and other parts of Bangalore. In the last 27 years, her bun world has grown into a successful enterprise.

Aparna Balamurali recalls that it was a great challenge to play a real-life person. “By the time the shooting started, I had become Bommi. Since I have previously acted in Tamil, I knew the language. But I had to learn the Madurai slang required for this film before dubbing for the character. Initially, I was a bit confused about Bommi, but Sudha ma’am was helpful, and she was very adamant that Bommi should never be sidelined in the film,” says Aparna. This National award proves that her hard work wasn’t for nothing. This underlines not only Aparna’s acting talent but also Bhargavi’s unwavering spirit.