Nowadays, one of the biggest and the most controversial issues facing our society at large is the misuse of online data. With the ongoing Aadhar hacks and Cambridge Analytica coup, the debate gets the fuel it needs to rage on various panels. So here comes Vishal and his new thriller, Irumbuthirai that looks into burning issues of data theft as it delves into a cat and mouse game with the villains. Action King Arjun plays the main antagonist while Samantha Akkineni is the female lead.

The movie is about how a military officer with anger management issues, played by Vishal, finds himself as a victim of online theft when a hacker called White Devil steals all his savings. Not the one to give up, the officer decides to go after the hacker and get him behind bars through the same methods that the villain has used.

Irumbuthirai has been getting decent reviews from the critics, who have praised the performances and the relevance of the plot, but criticised the length and a couple of unnecessary subplots. Check out what major websites are saying about the movie.

Times of India says, " Given the recent controversial incidents involving Facebook-Cambridge Analytica, the shutting down of Ukrainian power stations by alleged Russian hackers, and even our very own Aadhaar Card, the topicality of Irumbuthirai's theme - cybercrime - instantly makes it compelling. Like Thani Oruvan, this film, too, is about a cat-and-mouse game between an unstoppable force and an immovable object. "

Hindustan Times says, "PS Mithran has succeeded in presenting an intelligent cyber crime film. How does a hacker gain access to a smart phone or a bank account is explained simply. We do not just see a click of the mouse or a man randomly typing on a keyboard. This adds authenticity to the film. Irumbu Thirai is not an extraordinary film, but it is movie made well. The writing is tight and the film addresses real-life questions such as why there are privacy concerns about the Aadhaar card. For all its merits, if access to Aadhaar cards of thousands of people could be hacked, what would be the consequences? This film tries to answer this question."

Filmibeat says, "Irumbu Thirai does take its own time to crop up to the core plot with the first half of the film dealing with a slight romantic angle and the family issues of the protagonist. In fact, the major chunk of the first half revolves around the family of Kathiravan and the subsequent issues. This is sure to work well for the family audiences but at the same time, one would feel like too much time has been spent on the same. Nevertheless, the film goes at full-throttle especially after it enters the core plot."

Irumbuthirai has been in trouble with right-wing fringe elements for a scene where it discusses the fallacies of Aadhar. Some of the screenings have been disrupted over these protests. Let's hope that things work out fine.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 11, 2018 04:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).