Review: Aayirathil Iruvar

Director: Saran

Cast: Vinay Rai, Samuthrika, Swasthika, Kesha Khambati, Mayilsamy, Pradeep Rawat, Arul Doss, Kajal Pasupathi and others.

Music: Bharathwaj

Cinematography: Krishna Ramanan

Aayirathil Iruvar is one film that is bound to leave you puzzled, exhausted, drained and drowsy. What the makers originally wanted it to be was a light-hearted, fun-filled romantic drama. Sadly, for them and for us, the film is nothing like what they intended it to be.

The film has so many developments (mind you, most of them either unnecessary or unrealistic), that you have a tough time keeping up with the story and the plot.

Nevertheless, let us get on with the plot. The story is about two individuals Kottaisamy and Lingaraja respectively. Both are related to each other. However, they are at loggerheads over their ancestral property. Lingaraja has two sons – actually twins- called Senthati Kazhai and Sevatha Kazhai (both played by Vinay).

Senthati Kazhai, falls in love with a girl called Bhoomika (Swasthika) who is on a tour with her family. If you thought Senthati Kazhai does this when he is a young adult, you are mistaken. He falls in love when he is just a boy!! He pursues his love and follows her to her city, which is Hyderabad. His family members meanwhile get the impression that he has been killed by Kottaisamy.

Seeking revenge, Lingaraj, in a fit of anger, kills Kottaisamy. To escape the law, he too flees to Hyderabad, where he finds his son hale and hearty.Lingaraju realises that if his son and he return to their home in Tamil Nadu, his rivals, who are longing for revenge, will kill his son Senthati Kazhai. Therefore, he asks his son to remain in Hyderabad. Many years later,Senthati Kazhai grows up to become a conman, who engages himself in Hawala activities.

Meanwhile, Sevatha Kazhai, who is staying with his mom in his ancestral place, falls in love with Malar(Samuthrika), the niece of a jewellery shop owner (Mayilsamy) who has plans of marrying her. Sevatha Kazhai too goes about conning people. He nurtures hopes of being the sole inheritor of the huge property that his family owns. When Senthati Kazhai realises that Sevatha Kazhai is looking to own all the property without giving him a share, he comes up with a plan to cheat his brother and keep all the property for himself.

Well, if you thought that the story ends there. It doesn’t. While this forms the main plot of the story, the film has several sub plots too happening simultaneously. One pertains to Bhoomika, who, we are told, is the daughter of a Benami (Pradeep Rawat) of a politician. After the politician’s death, his mistress, played by Kajal Pasupathi, too wants the Rs 2000 crores that the politician has kept in a bank through the Benami for safe keeping. We are also told that the number to the account is tattoed on to the body of Bhumika, making her a precious entity. As if this isn’t enough, the politician’s mistress has a love affair going on with a money lender(played by Arul Doss), who puts on a brave front in front of his gang but weeps in secret, everytime he encounters a problem.

The film is a nightmare if you are actually looking for any entertainment. Vinay, who impressed with such a spectacular performance in Thupparivalan, has been totally wasted in this film. The heroines don glamourous dresses and have very little to do with regard to the story. Saran has delivered some good movies in the past like Attagasam but then, this will definitely not make it to the list of most memorable movies by the director.