Hello Friends,
If you are looking at your smartphone in a new light, hesitating to log in to Facebook, thinking twice about swiping your debit card, jump with a start each time there is a text message notification, refusing to open any unknown watsapp message then I am sure you have watched Vishal’s Irumbu Thirai. Smart move by Vishal for he has chosen a very pertinent theme that is so relevant to our times. It is such a relatable story and it has you hooked with its sheer relevance to our times.
By now I am sure you know that the film deals with cybercrime, online hacking, privacy violation, net banking, virus corrupting systems and money disappearing. Somebody said this is a film to suit urban Chennai and may not work well with rural areas. I don’t think so, because with Aadhar and digital India the rural population are also exposed to this and may be exploited more easily than the educated urban.
Having a chosen a sturdy theme Vishal and team have gone on to add interesting layers of a flawed Army officer, sister’s wedding issues, dysfunctional family, a subtle love track and a tech-savvy villain who is very sure of his moves. Arjun as the White Devil villain impresses you no doubt, but why is he given such a cameo role you wonder. One thing that stands out is that Vishal presents a family that is broken, it is not a typical lovey-dovey setup and it takes time, patience and understanding to get the family together again. Also, the love track is very muted and underplayed and strangely no dancing barefoot in the ten-inch snow. It is such a welcome relief to see an educated career woman as the heroine who is not forever running behind the hero.
All in all, its good film but a tad long with several subplots and angles confusing the viewer. If trimmed and made slicker it could turn out to be more powerful than it already is.
Useful Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irumbu_Thirai_(2018_film)
Cheers
Bhuvana Rajaram
