Karthik Subbaraj's third feature Iraivi is proof that no matter how good a writer/director is, there is always the chance that something just won't come together the way you hope it will.
Subbaraj took the Tamil film world by storm with a pair of remarkable thrillers in Pizza (2012) and Jigarthanda (2014) and expectations for this latest project have been through the roof. As a keen observer of the Tamil film world, especially when it comes to the young talent coming out of the region, I've been chomping at the bit for Iraivi. However, in this case Subbaraj has missed the mark and delivers a film that is largely devoid of his trademark wit and charm.
Like his two previous films, Subbaraj's Iraivi defies easy categorization or simple synopsis. Any substantive description of the plot would inevitably involve numerous spoilers and since I still want you all to see the film for yourselves, I'll attempt to keep this part brief.
It is the story of three men, Arul (SJ Surya), Michael (Vijay Sethupathi), and Jegan (Bobby Simha) who are constantly in trouble of some kind or another. Frequently the trouble involves women, whether estranged wives, booty call love interests, or traditionally betrothed fiancees. The story follows this trio as they attempt to free themselves from various catastrophes of their own making and the mess they make of their lives in the process.
Iraivi doesn't begin by establishing its characters, then setting up a main conflict, and finally proceeding toward a conclusion. It's structure is much more loose, which is a characteristic of Subbaraj's work thus far. He's very good at creating interest by only painting the extremities of the plot and engaging the audience by working toward the resolutions as the film goes along. It's one of the reasons it is so difficult to write about his films without giving something away.
However, in this case it feels as though he's become too precious with his characters and details to truly see what is and isn't necessary and the result is a series of overstuffed subplots that don't provide any material support to the main story.
Part of Subbaraj's past success has been his ability to subvert the tropes of Tamil commercial films and their expectations to create something unusual that still works with a general audience. He's an independent spirit who makes commerical movies. With Iraivi he doesn't seek to challenge the audience, merely to placate it by delivering a rather standard melodrama. There's nothing wrong with meodrama, but Subbaraj's talents and best efforts come out when he's working against expectations rather than with them. Now, this is probably better than your standard Tamil melodrama with a bigger star cast and budget, but it seems like the aim is much lower than it was on previous films.
The cast of Iraivi does remarkably well with the material they are given, and at least two of the main performers are Subbaraj regulars. Vijay Sethupathi, the biggest name actor in the film, was Subbaraj's lead in Pizza and is the up-and-coming stars of Tamil cinema. His performance here as Michael is one of the high points of the film; he is engaging, empathetic, and his arc is well defined by both the script and his performance. He's able to show the audience both vulnerability and vindictive fury with equal ease.
His on screen partners, Bobby Simhaa (Jigarthanda) and SJ Surya are equally adept in their roles, with each being given roughly equal screen time to develop a unique character that contributes to a successful melding of personalities. The problem they face is the actual material they are given.
While they aren't given top billing, and the vast majority of the film doesn't feature them on-screen, it is the women that propel the plot of Iraivi in one way or another. Regaining the trust of his estranged wife is Arul's primary concern. For Michael, it is the search for women he's left behind in the service of brotherhood that ultimately brings him low. All the while the ladies of Iraivi attempt to make their own lives work in spite of their partmers, rather than along with them. The idea is plain, women are emotionally and morally superior to men, and it's a point that is beaten into submission as we watch the men tie themselves in knots in their attempts to free themselves from their own failings.
This is the year of the woman in Indian film, with both Leena Yadav's Parched and Pan Nalin's Angry Indian Godesses making big news on the festival circuit and at home, it seems like a perfect wave to ride for Iraivi. However, the problem with Iraivi is that it is more of a weepie than an expose. The women in the film, though they definitely affect everything that goes on, do most of their work passively. They don't seem to have any agency or ambition of their own, the exist purely in concert with their love interests. The one character who does have her own desires beyond male companionship is quickly shed from the film when her self-determination inspires Michael's poor treatment of his new bride.
Can you make a feminist film without any empowered women? Iraivi certainly tries, but it mostly ends up spelling out the inferiority of men in unnecessarily expository monologues. The words are expertly delivered by actors who are the best at what they do, but they are so heavy handed that it feels more like a message movie about the dangers of machismo than anything else.
Why is it that Karthik Subbaraj chose to make Iraivi, a film that is very solidly middle of the road in terms of execution and tone, instead of something more outre and challenging? I suppose that's a question that only he can answer.
There are flashes of excellence in Iraivi; a subplot about an unmade film being held hostage by a producer, some interesting - if muddled - heist machinations, and some top shelf acting from Vijay Sethupathi are all highlights. However, it doesn't all fit together the way it could. The film is at least a half an hour too long and takes far too many detours into self-indulgence.
I wish I loved Iraivi. I was prepped and ready to go, but it just left me cold. Not straight enough to be a great drama, and not out-there enough to be another quirky winner, Iraivi falls flat.