Iruvar Analysis

 Iruvar (1997)

Co-written, Directed & Produced by: Mani Ratnam
Starring: Mohanlal, Prakash Raj, Aishwarya Rai, Revathi
Cinematography: Santosh Sivan
National Award for Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actor for Prakash Raj. 

It's based on the rivalry between MGR and Karunanidhi, but even without the context - it's a brilliant film to experience. For some reason, enmities always happen with best of friends or brothers and after some deep level of connection. It's probably because of the immense trust that is broken. In this film, they become friends at a young age. Young people with immense passion and ambition, to change things. The enmity happens naturally with time. Films that capture life, always have a lot of depth. There is not much emphasis even on the big events of life, which would typically be the climax of other films - like a marriage, or the passing of a partner, or getting success, becoming rich. All of these being parts of our life - they keep happening in the film and we just witness. The music isn't poignant, asking us to cry when sad things happen - it just asks us to witness life, as all of this is just life.

Prakash Raj is so intense in the film. The scene where he is sleeping on the bed with his wife, the context is that it's happening after they've had sex - it's a flat lay shot, where the camera is placed on the ceiling fan, facing downwards - and the camera keeps rotating. This in itself gives us a trippy feeling, and over this - there is some intense poetry by Prakash Raj. This is my favorite scene from the entire film. The film that I'm reminded of is the recent Ayyappanum Koshiyum - although Iruvar had some pollution with songs, which is totally understandable for the time it was made in. Mani Ratnam is a master of songs, even the dance ones; Vaan from Kaatru Veliyadai was terrific - but some of the dance songs in this film felt like they could be skipped. Santosh Sivan is the only DOP in India, with an ASC accreditation - the reason they cited for giving it to him is apparently because his films look Indian, and they have the Indian texture unlike other films which seem like an adaptation of Hollywood films.