Iruvar

This film tells the story of two friends and the parallel events in their lives. Although Rathnam states officially that this film is not a true story, it is generally believed that it was inspired by the real life stories of M. R. Karunanidhi and MGR during the beginning days of the DMK and their respective film careers.

Everyone always calls this film a "documentary" and tends to emphasize the fact that it supposedly tells the story of Karunanidhi and MGR. I think this film has very little to do with politics. It goes beyond the popular perception of two famous political figures in TN and tells their personal stories and attempts to disconnect these two characters in the movie from the superficial symbols of power we may perceive them as.

People that stubbornly hold onto to the idea that this film is about former Tamil Nadu chief ministers Karunanidhi and MGR (M.G. Ramachandran) will most probably not enjoy this film as much as people who view it as a drama about two ordinary men who turned out to do extraordinary things.

Some of the finer points in the movie are the unsaid words between Mohanlal and Prakash Raj (not their role in politics!). All the invisible dialog that goes on between the two of them is reflected in the background music. Mohanlal plays Anand with a high level of sensitivity. Prakash Raj is also brilliant. Good, controlled performances from the rest of the cast. This film also has two wonderful songs--"Narumugaye" & "Poo Kodiyin Punnagai." Both have amazing lyrics by Vairamuthu and good visuals, as well. Santosh Sivan's camera-work is spectacular, as usual. He impresses in a nicely-captured, post-lovemaking scene with Tabu and Prakash Raj.

Anandan is a very aspiring and talented stage-actor. He dreams of making it big in films and approaches various sources. Luck favors eventually and he notches up with a director and meets Tami Chelvan who happens to be a writer and an atheist. They both become the thickest of friends. Anandan meets huge success and Tami Chelvan uses his popularity to make in-roads in his political career.

Ego clashes erupt subsequently and Anandan overthrows Tami Chelvan from power. It is a beautiful drama of two friends and their ego. Photography, Score and Direction are commendable.

I really recommend this to connoiseurs of quality films

I have seen this movie about 10 times in the last 5 years. One of the most inspiring movie ever made in Indian movie history. The best part which sets this movie apart is the fact that it is in Tamil and about two of the greatest pioneers of Tamil Nadu, yet it is unbiased and brings out the psyche of two of the greatest minds of Tamil Nadu. Although the movie claims that it is not a true story (in the very first scene), it is intuitive to anybody who lived or are aware of the golden age of Tamil Nadu.

Mohanlal and Prakash Rai play Anandan and Tamizh Chelvan respectively. Impeccable performances by them portraying the real life characters. Every bit of this movie says that it is a classic and this will only be realized in years to come. The film showcases the kind of films Maniratnam is capable of making. A.R.Rahman's music will haunt the ears of the viewers.

This movie was not appreciated by the movie goers in India as it was a little too slow. There are no racy songs, unwanted characters or unrealistic scenes to woo the viewers. Suhasini Maniratnam's dialogues in Tamil takes this movie to a pedestal where only the connoisseurs can admire. A very straight forward approach by the best film-maker in India.

Arvind Swami lends his masculine voice to Vairamuthu's verses to bring out the intensity in the scenes that show Thamizh Chelvan's prowess as a poet.

On the whole, a wonderful movie to have in your DVD rack. A classic that will only reveal itself in the years to come.

'Iruvar' is easily Mani Ratnam's best work to date- well researched, well planned, tight screenplay, wonderful classic resembling songs, great camera-work, above all, stellar star cast and performances. The scene on the rooftop of Tamil Selvam (Prakash Raj)'s house where Anand (Mohan Lal) is urged to greet his fans is indeed, a masterpiece of a scene. I should say that 11 years has passed since this movie was made but i have loved every one who has worked on this movie. I believe Santosh Sivan is the best cameraman in India, and I am also saddened that he is not doing cemeraworks for Mani Ratnam anymore (this and Dil Se were both class). I loved Mohan Lal, and ever since then, any of his movies failed to come anywhere near as impactful as this. Above all, there is Aishwarya Rai. There are many people who doubt her acting prowess, claiming her to be nothing but glamorous and beautiful. This is, I admit, the second best all-time single film performance by an actress that i have witnessed in my life thus far (ranking first is the Clementine Wozniacki played by Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine). Ash is tremendous in enacting the role of both a village girl and a seductive actress. There is not a single scene which she fails to impress. Considering this her debut movie, i would say that she always carried great potential, i have seen rushes on the sets of the films that she has worked and i observe that she certainly is a very committed lady trying to portray the role in the best way possible. It's only sad that directors get stuck up when giving her roles. Sanjay Leela Bhansali only gave her HDDCS and Devdas where she played beautiful, exuberant young ladies but did not give her the role he gave to Rani in Black. Ash is easily the most talented of all the actresses, not only the most beautiful, her performances in Mani Ratnam's films (Guru) proves that. He seems to be the only director who knows how to use her talent and also beauty both appropriately. The thing about Iruvar is that the songs never look out of place. They are not abrupt nor mindless. This film, as i have witnessed, has changed a common perception that a good movie shouldn't have song and dance sequences. This is a good movie, and it is even a better movie for its song and dances. They are not out of place because all the songs refer to movies which Anand was acting in, and at the same time, all were gorgeously shot. 'Aayirathil Oruvan' had great locations and camera-work, so did 'Venilla', while 'Aayirathil Oruvan' too is the best shot-under-pouring-rain song i have seen so far. And i am writing this 11 years after the movie released, and five years after i watched it for the first time. I still can't erase it off my memory (I played the movie so many times that i ended up tarnishing the VCD), so i feel it deserves an IMDb review.

I think this is one of Mani's best films ever. Everything about it was astounding. Rehman's music - transported you to the period. Prakash Raj's acting was amazing, he's a class act in this one. Mohan Lal, needless to say was sparkling, some of his emotions, like when he says they expelled him for asking a question and in numerous other instances, were superb. Aish was great... and the accolades goes on.

Also the movie was remarkable for Mani's raw power / edge in showing a movie that so loosely piles incident upon incident, scene after scene - more like a real life documentary, and less like a feature film. Great experimenting and also great final product. Was enjoyed more by film scholars and film students, and not so much by the general public. In the end, it's just good to know that one of India's most successful commercial directors is also experimenting with new themes, new presentation styles, thereby pushing the frontiers of what can be done film-wise.