Review – Iruttu

Film: Iruttu
Director: V Z Dhorai
Cast: Sundar C, Sakshi Choudhary, Sai Dhansikaa, Vimala Raman, V T V Ganesh, Yogi Babu and others
Music: Girishh G
Cinematography: E Krishnasamy
Rating: 3 stars

Director V Z Dhorai, who has delivered some really memorable hits like Thotti Jaya and Mugavari, comes up with a neat horror film in Iruttu.

Not many know that Dhorai has a fear of horror films and that it was on director-actor Sundar C’s suggestion that he agreed to explore the possibility of making a film in the genre.

To his credit, he has done a fine job and his film, Iruttu, manages to impress audiences.

If in today’s world a film has to work, it has to have three elements. One, it has to have an idea that hasn’t been explored until now. Two, it has to have information that the audience is not aware of and three, it has to be narrated in a manner that keeps audiences engaged.

Director Dhorai’s Iruttu scores on all three counts. Iruttu is probably Tamil cinema’s first horror film that is set in an Islamic background. The film explores in depth the concept of a Jinn, an evil force that works against God and how there is mention of it in the Quran, the holy book of the Muslims.

The film gives out interesting and fresh information about the conflict that exists between Jinn and humans and how they can overcome it. Dhorai does not ace it when it comes to narration in the first half but he manages to retain audiences’ interest in the second half of the film.

The film starts off with a police inspector Sivabalan aka Cheziyan (Sundar C) getting transferred to a station in the cold dark hills of Ooty. Even as Sivabalan and his family comprising of his young wife (played by Sakshi Chaudhary) and daughter, make their way up the hills, enjoying the scenic beauty, there are ominous signs that look to warn them about the dangers that lie ahead.

But Chezhiyan is someone who will be easily rattled. He arrives with his family and takes charge at the station, where he is informed that on occasions, darkness befalls the entire area even at 12 noon and when that happens, a series of deaths occur.

Chezhiyan begins investigating the matter but before he can devote his complete attention to the case, something else begins to disturb him deeply. He realises that has slept with a woman, who has been posing as his wife! Who is this woman who impersonated his wife? How did she manage to resemble his wife so exactly? What is her motive in trying to establish a physical relationship with him? And more importantly, why were deaths occurring? Chezhiyan begins to find out…

Director-actor Sundar C is one of those individuals in the Tamil film industry who has a comprehensive understanding of how the industry functions and what actually works in it. The shrewd actor that he is, Sundar C, delivers exactly what is needed for the role. He plays the fearless inspector’s role well by giving out measured responses, that is bereft of any physical violence. To his credit, director Dhorai too does not have any sequences that one can consider unnecessary. And it is this rooted in reality factor that works in favour of the film.

Although Sundar C delivers a neat performance, it is not because of his film that the day is saved. Iruttu stands out because of the performance of actress Dhansikaa.
Dhansikaa doesn’t make an appearance until the interval but once she arrives, the story shifts gears and makes for interesting viewing.

Her performance lifts the film and induces an element of fear, which was missing until then. With absolute ease, the talented actress transforms an until then, mundane, run of the mill kind of horror film into something extraordinary that is worth noticing.

A fantastic actress, Dhansikaa breathes life into Iruttu, lifting it from certain doom, with her fine performance.

Another gifted actress Vimala Raman also makes a comeback with Iruttu and she delivers an equally impressive performance in the film. However, knowing the talent that she possesses, one only wishes that the director had given her a more meaty role in the film.

Sakshi Chaudhary too plays her part and delivers a neat performance as a loving wife and a doting mother to her kid.

The film has some fine background score by Girishh, who seems to have worked in tandem with the sound engineers. As a result, the background score enhances the mood of the film. On most occasions when there is something sinister about to happen, Girish instills an element of fear with his background score, making viewers wait with bated breath. Then, there are occasions, when he gives no warning and avoids all music, only to suddenly shock viewers with loud sounds. It is a fine art and the sound department along with the music director seem to have mastered it.

Cameraman Krishnasamy proves his mettle by presenting both visuals — ones that demand light and ones that are devoid of it– elegantly and beautifully. He captures the scenic beauty of the hill station in textbook fashion and uses innovative ideas to shoot scenes in the dark. These scenes are dark enough to scare you, yet have enough light to allow you to know what’s happening in there.

On the whole, Iruttu is an engaging, interesting horror thriller that has been presented reasonably well.