Iratta review: Joju George nails it in this well-made thriller

Joju George is proving to be an asset to the Malayalam film industry with his wide range of characters.

The actor has done many roles as a policeman. This includes his roles in Nayattu, Joseph, Action Hero Biju, Solamante Theneechakal, and so on. These roles were appreciated for the fact that they weren’t stereotypical.

Yet another movie by the actor, Iratta, has been released today, 3 February. Interestingly, Joju dons the role of twins here. This is the first time that the Joseph star is experimenting with a double role.

But what happens when both characters are police officers? Well, let’s check how the actor and the movie fare:

Joju George’s versatility

In an interview, director Rohit MG Krishnan told South First that Joju George’s double role would give mileage to the movie. Well, his performance justifies this statement.

Joju acts as a deputy superintendent of police (DySP) and assistant sub-inspector (ASI) in Iratta. Pramod (DySP) and Vinod (ASI) have a strange relationship even though they are twins.

It’s quite challenging for an actor to do multiple roles without making any physical changes. Joju succeeded in playing these estranged twin brothers as two different personalities.

In his earlier cop films, Joju played roles that were emotionally driven.

His voice always adds power to those hard-hitting emotional scenes and Iratta is no exception.

In the movie, Vinod’s character is more challenging than Pramod’s.

Vinod has a macho image as a middle-aged policeman who is a womaniser. His rude behaviour towards his fellow cops and women, and finally his transformation, is well portrayed by Joju.

Emotionally-driven plot

Iratta is not one of those movies with all the quintessential elements —comedy, peppy dance numbers, and a happy family.

A disturbed childhood between Vinod and Pramod makes them enemies. Vinod leads a careless life with many women. He is a drunkard and troublemaker even at work.

An incident at the police station where Vinod works and an investigation into it reveals some truths. These findings make the story engaging.

Interestingly, the instance that triggers the plot is taken from a small incident that actually happened in Kerala.

Emotionally-driven films usually tend to be melodramatic. But not Iratta!

At one point, Pramod’s character turns heroic. But it doesn’t turn superhero! Indeed, in the end, a surprise climax makes the hero a helpless man.

A defect with the movie, however, is the clichéd norm of portraying all the flashback scenes in black-and-white.

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— joju george (@C_I_N_E_M_A_A) February 2, 2023

Also Read: Run Baby Run review: An interesting thriller that works in parts

Performances

Tamil actor Anjali plays the role of Vinod’s live-in partner. She also has a troubled past. She doesn’t have many scenes in the movie, but she did her part well.

Srinda and Arya Salim are the other female actors.

Sabumon, Srikant Murali, and Abhiram Radhakrishnan did justice to their roles as well.

The script, however, largely gives importance to Joju’s twin characters.

Other technical crafts

Director Rohit MG Krishnan has done a wonderful job and it surely doesn’t feel like it’s his debut movie.

His script has a mild pace but it doesn’t lose its rhythm at any point.

A song sung by Shahabaz Aman is placed in the second half of the movie that is soothing to the ears.

Jakes Bejoy composed the song nicely. The background score of the movie is also laudable.

The visuals of Idukki, where the story is set, are captured with finesse by cinematographer Vijay.

Final verdict

Iratta is a well-paced crime thriller with an interesting plot and an amazing performance by Joju George, who is in full form.

(Views expressed are personal.)