Fahadh's magic can't salvage this thriller

Irul’ starts off with writer Alex Parayil (Soubin Shahir) waking up after a nightmare. His novel ‘Irul’ (darkness) is based on a serial killer who murders five women. This sets a dark tone to the film.

He plans a getaway weekend with girlfriend and lawyer Archana Pillai (Darshana Rajendran). They decide to leave their mobile phones behind.

Alex plans a surprise, and it takes mysterious turns. On a dark rainy night, the stranded couple seek help in an empty house, with an unknown man (Fahadh Faasil). A game of cat and mouse begins when they find a body in the basement.

‘Irul’ stretches for no reason. Some scenes look exaggerated. The lead actors Soubin and Fahadh do justice to their roles but they are wasted.

Apart from the stylish camera angles and sound design, some thought should have gone into the screenplay as well. In fact, some dialogues which sound intriguing do nothing to help the film along. They sound artificial.

With too many convoluted twists, ‘Irul’ meets a dead end. After a string of quality films, Fahadh stars in a half-baked project.