Review: Irumbu Thirai

Film: Irumbu Thirai
Cast: Vishal, Samantha, Arjun, Robo Shankar, Delhi Ganesh and others
Director: P S Mithran
Music:Yuvan Shankar Raja
Cinematography: George C Williams

It speaks volumes of the faith a director has in his film, its plot and its appeal, when he chooses to hold a press show in which he decides to screen only the first half to the media.

Mithran has every right to feel this confident about Irumbu Thirai for the film is gripping, intense, informative and interesting. As the first half ends, one is left wondering what’s going to happen next.

In fact, the movie is so engaging that one wishes the second half too was screened right after the first. However, it looks like we will have to wait for it until Friday, which seems quite a long way off.

The film begins with a hawala deal in which an innocent IT guy, Gurumoorthy, is promised a sum of Rs 5 lakh as commission for handing over a sum of Rs 45 lakhs to an unidentified individual. Those who deposit the money in his account warn him that if he turns greedy after receiving the money and fails to deliver the Rs 45 lakh to the person they ask him to, his wife and child would be at risk. Gurumoorthy agrees. A few hours later, Gurumoorthy’s phone beeps as it receives a message from his bank. The man is pleased. As promised, a sum of Rs 50 lakhs has been credited to his account. However, within minutes of this message appearing on his mobile, money starts being withdrawn from his account. Even before he realises it, the entire sum is withdrawn. Gurumoorthy is shocked when he finds that there is no money in the bank. Those in the Hawala business refuse to buy his version that he has no idea who withdrew the money. Left with no choice, he commits suicide.

Even as this is happening, an army instructor, Kathiravan (Vishal) is busy trying to woo girls from other countries. The reason is that Kathiravan, has just one ambition – to marry a foreigner and go abroad, where he eventually hopes to settle down for good. However, little does Kathiravan, who hates to borrow money, know that he too will soon find himself in a situation that is more or less similar to the problem faced by Gurumoorthy.

The first half of the film sends a chill down your spine as it gives you information that you might not be hitherto aware of.

It talks about how unscrupulous criminals, armed with the developments of technology, monitor all the activities of your life without your knowledge. It shows how something as simple and personal as a mobile phone can be used by dangerous cybercriminals to monitor your life, killing something called privacy. They show you how vulnerable your information stored digitally is and as the director rightly pointed out, present another facet of Digital India.

The film is an eye-opener in many ways and makes you understand the level of risk that one is subjecting oneself to by opting for digital processes that do not have adequate safeguards in place to ensure security.

Vishal as Kathiravan impresses in the action and emotional sequences. Samantha as the psychiatrist, Dr Rathi Devi, comes up with a sterling performance. In fact, Samantha shows a completely different facet of her acting in this film.She plays a mature, charming, patient, empathetic doctor. Every expression of hers is very measured, thereby making her character in this film a very endearing one. Robo Shankar and Delhi Ganesh too come up with good performances.

George C Williams does some great work with his camera. The entire sequence of events that happen at Vishal’s native place once he returns have all been shot very aesthetically. The lighting and the colour of every single element in the frame is just perfect.

On the whole, the first half of the film gets a double thumbs up as it makes you crave for more. Take a bow, P S Mithran!