25 Years of Iruvar

Thanking Mani Ratnam each day for creating a gem like Iruvar.

Iruvar is a tale of friendship, adulation, love, and jealousy between an aspiring actor and a writer who become best of friends and have a fall out later. The film brings Tamil cinema and politics together very beautifully.

Mohanlal and Prakash Raj are simply amazing with their complex, yet controlled performances. I was completely mesmerised by what Aishwarya did in Iruvar when I first watched it, and the experience was repeated as I watched the film again and it’s hard to believe it’s her debut film.

Iruvar is one those of very few films where the screenplay is being constantly complemented by the camerawork.

The cinematography by Santosh Sivan highlights the intensity and turmoil of the characters beautifully. Iruvar moves very swiftly between scenes of grandeur and melodrama to understated and intimate moments.

Several scenes manage to offer a visceral high while watching the film. The scenes between Anand and Tamil Selvam are shot in large, open spaces with some roaring music in the background by A R Rahman.

One such scene is between Tabu and Prakash Raj on the staircase in his house, when she came leaving everything behind only because he asked her to.

This lovely scene is often noted for its intensity and passion where the camera revolves above the couple as Selvam narrates his poem. This has to be one of the best scenes shot by Santosh Sivan. He’s also said it was a really difficult scene to shoot.