During the 1950s to the 1980s, Hindi film producers turned to one man to play the quintessential police officer. With his chiseled look and high cheekbones, crisp dialogue delivery and the ultra formal attitude he donned the cop role in 75 odd films and became Hindi cinema’s favorite “Inspector Uncle’. We are of course talking about the fabulous #Iftekhar. Meanwhile, #JojuGeorge, Malayalam cinema’s versatile genius has stunned audiences with every cop role that he has delivered whether #Joseph, #Nayattu or now #Iratta where he plays two twin cops but the man is no “Inspector Uncle’! With his expansive build, unkempt hair and moustache, he is the quintessential rogue cop who can deliver surprises! And in #Iratta that's exactly what he does with the climax scene creating quite a ruckus amongst audiences. Just for trivia lovers though, the record for the maximum number of police officer roles in Hindi cinema is with #JagdishRaj (Khurana) with 144 appearances!
#Irattu now streaming on #Netflix is set at Vagamon police station. ASI Vinod Kumar (#JojuGeorge) is found killed inside the station even as there is bustle all around with the impending visit of the minister (#Srinda). Even as the cops investigate the death, it takes DySP Pramod Kumar (#Joju in a twin role) to figure out what happened to his twin brother and bring the film to a stunning climax. Director #RohitMGKrishnan excels in a suspense thriller that is heightened by some superlative screenplay writing and manages to keep you hooked till the end. I am definitely not lamenting on the way promising scripts peter out and languish at the end when it comes to #Iratta.
The narrative has an overdoes of police procedures but I guess the malayali audience laps this up with vicarious interest. The writing is meticulous as the suspense builds up. The back stories of potential rivalries that could be the motive are told in a crisp manner. The red herring in the form of the drug thief in the lockup adds to the intrigue. As the drama begins to unfold, you sit back and wonder whether this is going to be a sermon on the importance of good upbringing. The monochrome flashbacks of the troubled childhood that the twins went through sets the base for their adult characters. Pramod is the refined police official, all method and professional demeanor while Vinod is the boorish, all brawn cop with low morals. They have one thing in common though - troubled marriages.
Talking about marriage and the women characters, the story has four potentially strong women characters although I wish they were nuanced a little bit more and had something more meaty in their roles. Both the wives are strong; Malini ( #Anjali) plays the brooding wife and catches your attention with her silence. The woman police officer at the station and the minister are interesting roles as well.
Vinod’s character arc is ambiguous as my friend AG points out. The character starts off as someone who is despised for his loud and wayward ways. Along the way, there is a sentiment of him reforming as he finds love. All of a sudden though, there is a change in tracks and the character goes back to actions that are blatantly despicable!
The script is made for #JojuGeorge though. He embraces the characters brilliantly and demarcates the two twins with a nuanced performance where he relies on his body language, dialogue delivery, tone of voice and overall attitude. He is brilliant ! The rest of the cast put in commendable performances too and notable are #JithuAshraf, #AryaSalim, #Srinda, #SrikantMurali, #SabuMon and #AbhiramRadhakrishnan. #ManuAntony’s editing is competent and #Vinod’s cinematography capturing the scenic mountain backdrops is enticing. #JakesBejoy brings in his magic touch on the background score to heighten the suspense. The movie is produced by #SijoVadakkan and co-produced by #MartinPrakatt.
#Iratta is a compulsive watch. The screenplay is brilliant and the suspense is built up steadily. It is one of those rare films where the ending is just perfect and leaves with the ‘sting in the tail’. It is #JojuGeorge all the way; I do believe that he has not risen to his full potential and I sincerely hope that his talent gets the recognition that is deserves.
