Iruvar (1997)

Original title

இருவர்

Directed by

Mani Ratnam

Genre

drama film, docudrama, biographical film

Country

India

Runtime

2h 36m

Rating

7.5 of 10 from 54 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Two men rise together in the worlds of cinema and politics in Tamil Nadu. Their friendship and rivalry shape their careers and personal lives over decades.

sweepingmelancholicintenseatmosphericthought-provokingbittersweetlyricalepic

What happens

Iruvar (transl. The Duo) is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language epic political drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Mani Ratnam. The music was composed by A. R. Rahman. The film, inspired by the lives of M. G. Ramachandran, M. Karunanidhi and J. Jayalalithaa, is set against the backdrop of cinema and politics in Tamil Nadu. It stars Mohanlal with an ensemble supporting cast including Prakash Raj, Aishwarya Rai, Revathi, Gautami, Tabu, and Nassar. Rai, who was crowned Miss World 1994, made her first screen appearance, playing dual characters. The high-budget film had its original soundtrack composed by A. R. Rahman, and the cinematography was by Santosh Sivan. The film marked Mohanlal's debut in Tamil cinema after having only a cameo in Gopura Vasalile. Iruvar was the first Tamil film to be screened at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on 19 April 2025 and was also screened at the Masters section in the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival. The film won the Best Film award at the Belgrade International Film Festival and two National Film Awards. In 2012, Iruvar was included by critic Rachel Dwyer in the 2012 British Film Institute Sight & Sound 1000 greatest films of all time. In a 2013 interview, Ratnam said he considered Iruvar to be his best film. It used DTS 6 track sound recording. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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