Irumbu Thirai Review – An interesting film about the dark world of the internet

If there is one news from the world of tech that rattled almost everyone then it is the news of data leak from one of be most used social media websites in the world, Facebook. The website’s founder Mark Zuckerberg was accused of selling personal data of Facebook users to a company that analyses and decides our decisions. However one needs to know that Facebook isn’t the only website which is adept at doing so. Our smartphone is so smart that it stores the data, only to be taken by a third party later. Not just Facebook, the Aadhar card breach is also another startling revelation to Indians. Shocking? Well, that’s the very element director Mithran brings about in his film Irumbu Thirai.

Starring Vishal in the lead, Irumbu Thirai explores the deep dark web of illegally accessing one’s data and extracting money. This combined with the worry of a brother who needs money to get married and hates borrowing, a father who is a serial money loaner and other factors add a sense of empathy to the plot. Vishal’s role is a layered one which helps in connecting with the audience. He isn’t just a regular mass hero who thrashes bad guys; he is someone who wants to make up for the lost time with his family. He is someone who can be cheated by the society, he can succumb to pressure and he can fail – it makes his character vulnerable and relatable making it a key factor to root for his character. One cant ignores the heroic moments he displays in the film – after all what’s a film without it. Vishal this role perfectly. He strikes the right balance between staying angry and being reliable.

Another well defined character in the film is Arjun who plays the role of an antagonist. Keeping his character under wraps during the first half of the film, and gradually revealing his identity and face is interesting. However what stands out is how engaged the story keeps despite of not revealing his identity. The track between Arjun and Vishal reminds you of Thani Oruvan and Vikram Veda which also had a cat and mouse sequence between the hero and the villain.

The dialogues about how banks work and don’t give loan to farmers is sure to strike a chord with the audiences.

The latter half of the film is certainly illogical as Vishal becomes the one man army and decides to defeat Arjun. However a surprise factor changes one’s opinion about it. The length too is one of the negatives.

Arjun’s performance as the conniving cyber criminal is superb! He displays a level of tension to the scene that would easily make him one of most memorable villains.

Delhi Ganesh’s subtle acting is convincing and earns our sympathy. He proves why he’s a senior actor. Samantha has very little to do in the film.

It was a revelation to the common man to learn about the digital world. How one deceives the other and how the concept of privacy is incompetent in the digital world.