Suriya's Soorarai Pottru, directed by Sudha Kongara, has been accepted for screening at the Academy Screening Room this year. This means that the film will be made available at the Academy Screening Room from today to be viewed by the academy members for votes and nominations, if any, to the different categories. 

While a statement from the producer claims that the movie is now in the race for the Oscars (best actor, best actress, best director, best composer, and best story) in the general category section, the fact remains that the movie has just been accepted for screening following a paid submission, and the members will then have to vote for it several times for the movie to qualify for the next round, and from there to make it to the list of nominees. 

The Academy Screening Room is a paid service hosted by the Academy, which enables makers to send showcase their movies for a fee of $12,500, and are accepted after a quality check.

Soorarai Pottru, inspired by the real-life story of Air Deccan founder GR Gopinath, premiered on Amazon Prime in November, last year, to widespread critical acclaim.

Produced by Suriya's own production banner 2D Entertainment and Sikhya Entertainment, the film also starred Aparna Balamurali, Mohan Babu, Paresh Rawal, Urvashi, and Karunas.