Iru Mugan Review - Lacks "Speed"

PUBLISHED DATE : 08/Sep/2016

Iru Mugan Review - Lacks "Speed"

IruMugan FDFS Review


Vikram’s versatility and physical transformation that he goes through for each role is arguably unmatched. After giving everything he had got in Shankar’s “I”, Vikram gave a flat-out dud in “Pathu Endrathukulle”. Vikram returns to his experimental ways within commercial format by enacting dual roles of both hero and a villain in Iru Mugan. Interestingly, no character in the movie seem to care much about the similarities and resemblance of  the two characters. Appreciate the director’s confidence in the actor Vikram to be able to pull this off without having cliched justifications. 

 

Story, Screenplay and Direction


With Kabali and now Irumugan, Malaysia is becoming the default foreign locale of 2016. Director of Arima Nambi fame, Anand Shankar, has worked on weaving chemistry, science and history and blended that with liberal dose of creative freedom to develop the script. The director painstakingly explains every scientific detail, which sometimes back-fire. Anand Shankar should be credited for staying loyal to the script without deviating too much away from the story, barring the 3 songs which are considered mandatory to meet commercial requirements.

 

In the spirit of bringing authenticity and logic to some unbelievable sequences, the director over-explains one concept after another. This results in a somewhat non-engaging narration throughout. The screenplay lacks the bite and the dialogues lack the punch. The core problem is there is too much repetitiveness of similar scenes, such as the ones showing the effect of the miracle drug “speed” on nervous systems after inhaling, fight sequences under the effect of the drug, and some dialogues to justify to the audience.

 

Vikram, the Irumugan  


Vikram keeps up with the latest trend of sporting a beard and hairdo that suits him well. Vikram seems to hit a pause button on his age. He is well-toned and looks dashing with his stylish bearded look. The effeminate villain role played by Vikram is interesting primarily due to the body language. A few scenes do go a bit overboard in terms of acting that seem a bit artificial. Overall, it is a neat effort by Vikram and the novelty of the villain role makes it watchable.

 

Casting


Apart from Vikram, Nayantara has an important role to play. The script doesn’t resort to a lengthy flashback one may come to expect. Some interesting twists make you sit up once a while. The effect wanes off quickly in the absence of strong script to hold it all together. Nithya Menon doesn’t have much scope to showcase her histrionics nor does the story cares much about showing her as an intelligent RAW agent. It is disappointing to see a talented actress being clearly under-utilized in the acting department.

 

The most bizarre casting decision is that of comedian Karunakaran. The entire sequence involving his introduction is completely out of synch and confusing. Wonder what the director was thinking! Rythvika should watch out before she gets stereotyped as the abused innocent girl in all her future movies. Rythvika and Naazar show up in a couple of scenes and then disappear. Thambi Ramaiah’s role is forced to inject comedy into the proceeding. Another miscast for the sake of commercial reasons.

 

Technicalities


RD Rajasekhar’s camera work is rich and glossy. He does a commendable job in making Vikram and Nayantara look fantastic. Harris Jayaraj’s has only 3 songs. All of them do not help much with moving the story forward. The respective background tracks for hero and villain are repeated at least a dozen times throughout the movie. The art direction, costume design and make-up have all done their parts well. Despite good stunt choreography, the fight sequences lack purpose and intent.

 

Final Word 


The director has spent considerable effort in googling and researching so many scientific concepts. However, the screenplay and scenes fail to evoke interest due to lack of drama and hook. Irumugan travels on a low-gear at low “speed” throughout. One would wish "Iru Mugan" had taken a dose or two of the “speed” drug shown in the movie.

 

Rating : 2.75 / 5.0

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