Radhika Madan and Akshay Kumar in the poster of the film. (courtesy: abundantiaentertainment)
Radhika Madan, who played Akshay Kumar's wife in the film Sarfira, addressed the issue of their 27-year age gap. In an interview with India Today, Radhika claimed people are talking about their "intense chemistry" after watching the film. Radhika told India Today, "It was there when the film was announced and when the trailer came out. But post the release surprisingly, I read 42 reviews and none of them mentioned about the age gap." Sharing her joy for being appreciated in the film, Radhika said, "All they mentioned was they have cracking chemistry, intense chemistry, and lovely chemistry. Everyone mentioned the chemistry. The same people who were saying that, 'why this' after watching the trailer."
Radhika Madan continued, "We have focused on the superficial aspect of it in the past and so people think 'dobara inhone bhi yeh hi kiya hain' (they have done this again), it's not that. It's a very different story."
Radhika also established her point with references shown in the film. The actor believes the age gap between the characters is established in the film on a solid ground. "Every explanation is beautifully shown in the film. Everything is addressed from the word 'go'. The age difference is addressed in my opening scene. The reason you don't feel that is because Veer and Rani's [their characters in the film] connection is way deeper. It's not that she's a good-looking younger chick or he is a handsome older guy."
Radhika continued, "They were fighting so hard with people around them to prove their own dream, that when they saw the other person and saw themselves in them, that was the reason for attraction. They felt seen. It was not about how much they earned, or how they looked. She didn't say yes to him, till the time she couldn't respect herself and him."
In an NDTV review, film critic Saibal Chatterjee gave Sarfira 2 out of 5 stars. He wrote, "Sarfira does not exactly soar above the clouds although Akshay Kumar plunges headlong into a role that has far more meat than many of the other roles that he has played in recent years. The hammy bits are hard to ignore, but Sarfira does have moments that allow the star to demonstrate his wares to a greater extent than he usually does."
Sarfira also features Seema Biswas, Prakash Belawadi and Anil Charanjeett. The film has been jointly produced by Abundantia Entertainment, 2D Entertainment, and Cape of Good Films.