Movie: Iraivi
Direction: Karthik Subbaraj
Cast: S J Surya, Vijay Sethupathi, Bobby Simha, Anjali, Karunakaran
Music: Santhosh Narayanan
Cinematographer: Sivakumar Vijayan
Editor: Vivek Harshan
Genre: Drama
Rating: ∗∗∗½
What is it about: Iraivi is inspired from Sujatha’s “Jannal Malar”. The film ponders on the male dominated arrogance, which is conveyed through the sufferings of their female counterparts. This will be the third directorial venture by Karthik Subbaraj.
Why it’s disappointing: One huge thing which might work quite negative with “Iraivi” would be the length of the film. I as a critic and as well as the movie buffs can sit through, but a general audience will end up calling a drag. Apart from that there’s one thing I felt was quite a shallow one in the second half, I really don’t want to reveal that mainly because of the humble request from the director in press meet asking the reviewers not to reveal the plot.
What to watch out for: This could take a while and I request you to patiently read through. The film is filled with so much moolah, that it’s hard to cut down short. Iraivi takes you through journey which would last long.
The film has an ensemble cast which astounds you at every node it travels. And the uncrowned king of the ensemble is SJ Surya. He was at another level of performance, which proved everyone wrong. His reference is mostly taken as double meaning jokes and vulgarity in the past movies. But this will just change the personality to a level, which he himself has to compete against to at least maintain the dignity which he earned as an actor making an impact on the audience. Right from the beginning till the climax sequence, the intensity remains intact with no compromise. Every scene is great and many get huge applause from the audience. It always takes a great director to bring out the inner actor from an artist and Karthik Subbaraj did a fantastic job in re-inventing SJ Surya. A laudable performance which gets deep under the skin of the character.
What can you say about this actor, he has been climbing the ladder at a pace which is growing at enormous level. That’s right I’m talking about Vijay Sethupathi, he’s one actor who can deliver a mass scene in a jiffy, which hits you from nowhere. He’s matured in to a whole new level of an artiste, his performance gets even better under the direction of Karthik Subbaraj. His body language and dialogue delivery can bring in humour, even if it’s an intense scene. His timing is impeccable and VJS gave a commendable performance.
Bobby Simha, after “Jigarthanda” it became really hard for him to match up to the character which gave a great boost to his career. He’s done many films, but we can’t say there’s one which could be worth the effort. But in “Iravi” he’s done a great job and a good one. It may not be “Assault Sethu” but “Jagan” does the job.
Anjali, she’s an actress who was lost in the crowd for a very long period. And finally she landed a role which does justice to her work. She is a natural and a performance which reflects the woman of her stature with great dignity. She tops the list among the “Iraivis”.
Pooja Devariya, a new found and a very bold one. She perfectly churns out a crisp performance which was required for the character given to her. Can see a pretty good future for her in the industry.
Kamalinee Mukherjee, she just disappeared from Kollywood after “Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu”. I wouldn’t say this is a comeback, but a commendable one.
Karunakaran was at his best with wittiness and Cheenu Mohan who was seen after ages was given a meaty portion to make his presence felt.
Radha Ravi, his role was at a mature level and he did a great justice to the role playing it with utmost finesse. Chilled out, relaxed and a poised one.
As other films of Karthik Subbaraj, even this was technically rich. It had Sivakumar Vijayan as the cinematographer who captured every emotion and landscapes with great diligence. And that was meticulously cut by Vivek Harshan, who had an amazing nake to convey the story with the sharp cuts.
The music by Santhosh Naryanan can’t be missed. An amazing score which matched every mood of the film, and a riveting background score.
Verdict: Karthik Subbaraj strikes a hat-trick as a filmmaker. He always has a nake to convey what he intends to and makes sure he gets under that comfortably, which works a magic on the screen. The dialogues were strong and the reference in the climax was a stupendous one. Amazing derivation of emotions which takes a while to digest. Definitely worth a watch, don’t miss this piece of art, because you hardly get to witness some values pictured in to films these days.
