Iratta Movie Review: In my review of Thankam, I mentioned Padmarajan's Kariyilakkattu Pole and KG George's Ee Kanni Koodi as two films that wrap a story about flawed people inside the layers of an investigative thriller. Those films came to mind again while watching Iratta, a deeply engaging drama about a complicated person and the mystery surrounding his even more complicated death. I can assure debutant Rohit MG Krishnan that his film Iratta will be mentioned in the same breath as Kariyilakkattu Pole and Ee Kanni Koodi in the years to come. Regarding its lead actor, Joju George, Iratta is easily his most spectacular performance, even surpassing his act in Joseph and Chola. Thankam Movie Review: Vineeth Sreenivasan-Biju Menon's Film is an Absorbing Investigative Thriller For Most of Its Parts.

Iratta begins with the shocking death of a cop on the premises of an Idukki police station during a special ceremony for a minister. That dead cop is ASI Vinod (Joju George), who was shot three times. As the cops scramble to find out who killed him, his identical twin Pramod (Joju once more) learns of his death and arrives at the station. We are then given enough flashbacks to understand the two siblings, especially more so Vinod, and what could have conspired behind Vinod's murder.

Despite their ungainly physical appearances and fiery tempers, Pramod and Vinod are diametrically opposed, and they even despise each other. Pramod is more well-off and has a higher rank in the police (DYSP), but he is a loner after his wife left their abusive marriage with their daughter years ago. Vinod, a victim of adolescent trauma, is hostile, a lecher, and frequently fights with his coworkers.

Watch the Trailer of Iratta:

The second act of the film is devoted to the deconstruction of these brothers. Iratta, like Kariyilakkattu Pole, is less concerned with identifying the murderer and more concerned with unravelling the victim's complicated past. The flashbacks, particularly those unrelated to the murder investigation, may appear to slow the pace, but give yourself some patience, and you will find the portions construct Vinod's character so well that his final fate and the circumstances surrounding his death feel more impactful. The portions tries to humanise what is a vile character, but as far my humbly limited understanding goes, they do not try to absolve him, in fact turn him into a layered anti-hero. Christopher Movie Review: Mammootty’s Cop Saga Does an ‘Encounter Killing’ to Progressiveness of Malayalam Cinema.

The third act is solid and well-paced, and it leads to a disturbing yet satisfying conclusion (which I felt took a page out of an even more disturbing South Korean thriller) when Iratta brings back its focus on being an investigative thriller. Not to mention, I witnessed Joju give one (or two) of his best performances in both acts.

Among the many, there are two specific scenes I would like to highlight in which I was totally blown away by the actor's performance. The scene in which a drunken Vinod sheds his outer boorish cover and calls himself azhaka in front of the woman he gave refuge to (Anjali), the only second soft act we see him perform. The second is the final scene, in which Pramod fully comprehends the implications of his brother's death and the impact they have on his own life.

The supporting cast - Srindaa, Srikant Murali, Arya Salim, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Anjali, Sabumon Abdusamad, Manoj KU among others - deliver the goods for their parts.

Final Thoughts

Iratta is a compelling drama that lends itself to a taut investigative thriller with an impactful conclusion. Credit for that belongs to a powerful character-driven narrative and Joju George's brilliant double act. Iratta is streaming now on Netflix.

Rating:4.0

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 03, 2023 10:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).