IRANDU MUGAM MOVIE REVIEW

Starring: Sathyaraj Karan Suhani.
Direction: Aravindraj
Music: Bharadwaj
Production: K Vaithiyalingam Udayar

There is a telltale scene in Irandu Mugam in which Karan gets jittery and worked up, to sign in one of the official documents after he assumes office as a Minister (Fertilizers). One of his subordinates, an IAS officer, assures him, “don’t worry sir. You will soon get used to it.” Bingo. The first time always makes you feel edgy about it. But the advantage in politics is that there are a million opportunities every day and night that it’s so irresistible not to commit mistakes.

In effect, the title Irandu Mugam alludes to the dual faces of the politicians and the movie works in parts when it glibly makes its actors slip into the skin of such scheming politicians. The movie is contemporary in its approach and hence relatable. It’s not a generic study of current day politics and it has slotted in a few events relating to present-day politics. It also comes off largely as a satire rather than mere portrayal of events. Director Aravindraj’s (of Oomai Vizhigal fame) intentions are clear and hence the movie brings the message home.

Karan, a Political Science post-graduate (there goes message number one; to aspire political science graduates to enter politics) gets into the political milieu, initially as an honest and naïve politician, but later gets sucked into the whirlpool of political scumbaggery (message number two; it’s impossible to stay honest in politics. The temptations are just too many). He stays loyal to his political godfather and gets elevated to the level of a state minister. In the rat race to make money, he overlooks the sense of right and wrong. He loses his best friend who succumbs to an allergic reaction from a chemical discharge of a fertilizer factory, approved by Karan.

Sathyaraj, an IAS officer, as his under secretary, tries to infuse some sense in his mind but fails miserably. He plots a plan and successfully stages the same, making Karan into believing that he has a life-threatening disease. Karan tries to fix his wrongdoings and in the process, brings Nasser and other wily politicians to justice.

Many current political trends have been touched upon in the movie; including the BT Brinjal and the movie takes potshots at politicians in every possible manner. Since satire is Sathyaraj’s home turf, he shows effortless ease in his role and Karan, as a perplexed, wet-behind-the-ears politician also pulls it off. More than the subtle satire, MS Bhaskar, Ganja Karuppu and Livingston’s boisterous comedy brings in a few laughs. Under the pretext of ministers in various departments they are riotous.

On the flipside, the movie is also heavily commercialized and hence does not digress from the written rules of commercial cinema. It has a heroine, a rather insipid bunch of songs and lackluster cinematography all of which serve very little purpose as such. But the movie, however, is not bogged down by these shortcomings. Although not a racy entertainer, it comes across as a refreshing change from the movies with droning themes of love and friendship.

Verdict – Political satire, with pitfalls