Iravin Nizhal is a film written and directed by R Parthiban, and produced by Bioscope Film Framers in association with Parthiban's Akira Film Productions. The film has Parthiban himself in the lead while Robo Shankar, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Priyanka Ruth, Brigida Saga, and others play supporting roles. The film has music by AR Rahman, cinematography by Arthur Wilson and audiography by Sivakumar.
Nandu (Parthiban) is a financier for films who hunts for a fake godman in order to exact revenge for something. After reaching the ashram of Swami Paramanandha, he learns that even the Swami is on the way to kill him. What led Nandu to take this decision, what makes Nandu run for his life, his dark backstories form the plot of Iravin Nizhal.
It is widely known that Iravin Nizhal is a single shot non-linear film, and is the first film in the world to achieve this feat. Before the film begins, the makers place the making video of the film, which sets the tone and mood for the main picture that we are yet to witness. While technicians like AR Rahman, the cinematographer and the art director talk about their contribution towards the film, Parthiban also shows us what went wrong in each of the takes and how difficult it was to pull off a film in this way. For instance, in a film that's 93 minutes long, there is a small technical snag in the 91st minute which results in the crew re-shooting the entire 93 minutes from scratch.
While we've heard a lot of filmmakers say they've put in effort, here's a man who has shown us what the term means. He has broken the barriers for filmmakers all around the world, making way for more such films in future. But there is one basic question that arises while we watch Iravin Nizhal. Did Parthiban write a story that required to be told as a single shot, or is it one where Parthiban decided to shoot a film as a single shot and then decided to write a story around it.
Iravin Nizhal falls into the latter, and that is the one of the important factor that seem to work against the film. Since the director is so focussed on conveying everything in a single shot, the storytelling aspect seem to fall short. The film's pacing is fast... but it is so fast that most of the moments don't sustain. It is almost like the film somehow wants to get to the next scene as soon as possible. Parthiban is excellent as Nandu, but the other characters don't get registered that well despite some brilliant performances, with Varalaxmi and Priyanka Ruth of Gangs of Madras fame standing out.
Technically, the way the camera moves and swings through the sets makes the film look more cinematic, in a positive way. AR Rahman gives us a score that is highly immersive, and these songs elevate the film to the next level. The art director Vijay Murugan's Production design is top notch, and innovative, assisting both the narrative as well as cinematographer Arthur Wilson's camera.
Overall, Iravin Nizhal is a technical marvel, that definitely needed crisp writing. However what Parthiban has achieved through this is pathbreaking, and makes us forget the flaws in the screenplay and writing. There are the usual 'Parthiban Wordplay' dialogues, but half of them distract us from the scene, affecting the engagement. The performances of the actors, and Parthiban's perseverance keeps us hooked for the entire duration, and the short runtime also helps the film's cause.