119. Iratta; movie review

 

IRATTA

Cert 15

111 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong injury detail, child sex abuse, domestic abuse

Oh, that is as tight a crime thriller as I have seen in quite a while.

Iratta has no heroes, just a catalogue of very flawed characters who could all be responsible for the murder of a corrupt cop (Joju George).

He is shot dead in a police station as a well-attended public ceremony is about to begin.

But who killed him and why does his fellow police officer twin (also played by Jojo) have any part in his death?

The investigation into the killing comes at it from different angles.

Firstly, all three prime suspects - who all had a grudge against the deceased - give their accounts, denying the murder.

The background of the two brothers is also played out as is the more recent activity of the victim.

Meanwhile, there is political pressure on the investigating officer (Megha Akash) to wrap up the case which has hit the headlines.

I was rather taken with Iratta - at less than two hours it is so crisp it scarcely wastes a minute.

Joju grabs through both parts - the aggressive, drunk cop who makes many enemies as well as his more considered but imperfect sibling.

Rohit M. G. Krishnan's direction maintains the audience's attention while also keeping it guessing although the dramatic music is rather overdone.

It all adds up to a style of whodunnit which is rare in Indian cinema but most welcome.

I caught up with it on Netflix after its short cinema run.

Reasons to watch: Twisting thriller

Reasons to avoid: Occasionally loses momentum

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? It was on Joju's suggestion that the key characters of Iratta are twins. Initially, they were going to be played by separate actors.

The final word. Rohit MG Krishnan: "I kept looking for an apt subject and other aspects of a movie that could work well in terms of our budget. It led me to an incident that happened in Kerala that had almost gone unnoticed. I found it curious and thus Iratta eventually became a reality. However, inspired by it, I created a completely different story based on fictitious characters." South First

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