Official Trailer:
Iratta is a solid directorial debut by Rohit M.G.Krishnan. He knew he has a great story to tell in his hand and that confidence shows in his direction. We have seen so many movies with twins as protagonists. When we think we have run out of ideas, we get Iratta with its fresh spin with twins. It is a police procedural drama bookended with a strong opening stretch, and a climax that throws us off-balance. When it comes to investigative segment, I didn’t find anything fresh in approach, it takes the familiar path similar to earlier ones. But with a powerful third act, things fall in perspective. With a payoff like that, I can let go of few flaws in the writing that could have been refined better.
[SPOILERS AHEAD…]
How much of an influence nurture plays in shaping our behavior as an adult? Nature Vs nurture is an ongoing debate. In extreme cases, like criminal behavior or abuse, scientific community is still divided on the genetic and environmental influence. Studies are inconclusive. Iratta doesn’t get into depth of the debate, that is not the focus, but does tie that to adult behavior irrespective of whether it is due to genetic or environment or a combination of both. That is enough to buy-in to the premise. I loved the way the opening stretch gets linked to the climax. How a reality show scene brings out conflicting emotions in Pramod and Vinod leading to diverse outcomes. Vinod not able to come to terms with his dastardly and despicable act takes out his life. Pramod’s predicament is much more tragic, he is haunted by Vinod’s actions even after his death. For no fault of his, Pramod has to live the rest of his life as an image of Vinod. The mirror shot of Pramod and Vinod is a brilliant one and conveys the whole emotion without any dialogues.
It is a treat to watch Joju George’s performance as Pramod and Vinod, how he portrays their emotions. The shock, the pain, and the sick what have I done feeling that crosses the face of Vinod and the realization of the full impact of Vinod’s action by Pramod as he stares at the mirror, are testaments to what a brilliant actor Joju George is.
The non-linear narration technique helps to keep the suspense and build up to the climax. We learn about Vinod’s character through flashbacks as part of the interrogation. Gives a feel of Rashomon. The minister character could have been completely chopped (could have been done over the phone to show the pressure on SP from the top officials), she repeats the same dialogue in identical scenes. Malini’s character could have been hashed out better with more scenes and dialogues for her. Malini’s portions do help in building the character arc of Vinod towards the climax, how the ghosts of the past come to haunt him.
Overall, Iratta is an engaging thriller with a great payoff.