'Irul' movie review: Fahadh Faasil-starrer fails to meet expectations

Director: Nazeef Yusuf Izuddin

Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Soubin Shahir and Darshana Rajendran

Rating: 2/5

Actor Fahadh Faasil's latest movie Irul is a mildly engaging crime thriller that makes an okayish impact despite not being as good as his previous release CU Soon. The film revolves around what happens when a writer with a past, played by Soubin Shahir, and his girlfriend (Darshana Rajendran) find themselves in a predicament following an unexpected turn of events.

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The story initially plays out like a drama, focussing on the struggles of the protagonist, before moving into the thriller space, The initial portions are a bit slow as they explore the dynamics between Soubin and his lover.

Things pick up a bit post-Fahadh's entry but Irul never really reaches its potential as the writing is not as good as expected. The characters have not been fleshed out properly, which makes it difficult for fans to relate to the action. The screenplay also ends up raising more questions than it answers.

The dark secret from Soubin's past, for example, isn't explored properly. This is a pity as the subplot had tremendous potential, The dynamics between FaFa and the Halal Love Story actor too remain ambiguous.

There are two major twists in Irul. One of them falls flat as it becomes a bit too apparent halfway into the film. The other one involving the house, however, salvages the film by keeping fans mildly engaged.

Fahadh manages to infuse life into a half-baked character, which comes across as a poor cousin of Siddharth Abhimanyu--the charismatic antagonist of Thani Oruvan. The actor does not really get enough scope to transform into 'Unni', which prevents him from showcasing his abilities to the fullest.

Soubin is unable to 'internalise' his character of the underdog the way Ajay Devgn did in Drishyam. His inability to emote with his eyes dilutes the impact of his performance. The film, however, can still be considered to be a step in the right direction for him as his character in Irul is a departure from the ones played by him in Sudani from Nigeria and Halal Love Story.

Darshana Rajendran is underutilised as her character in Irul is as one-dimensional as anything can be. 'Archana' is supposed to be a lawyer but this proves to be of no consequence in the grand scheme of things. The character needed depth to make an impact.

The background music is decent in some portions but comes across as a bit too breezy in others. Some of the dialogues are good but this proves to be a small consolation in the long run. The other technical aspects are up to the mark.