Iravukku Aayiram Kangal movie review: A murder mystery that works in parts

Iravukku Aayiram Kangal movie review: Arulnithi’s new film is boring and a task to sit through.

Iravukku Aayiram Kangal
Director: Mu Maran
Cast: Arulnithi, Mahima Nambiar, Ajmal, Anandraj, Vidya Pradeep and Suja Varunee
Rating: 2.5/5

No twist at the end is worth sitting through Iravukku Aayiram Kangal.

One murder, multiple suspects. Debutant director Mu Maran’s crime thriller Iravukku Aayiram Kangal, which shines in parts and can’t be written off easily, is one of those films that needed more thrills than what it offers. Despite its effort to redeem itself with a laudable twist in the final act, it fails to rise above being a passable murder mystery.

The events unfold on a rainy night and the setting has a heavy Dhruvangal 16 hangover, but Iravukku Aayiram Kangal, which features Arulnithi in yet another impressive role, is not cut from the same cloth. The plot revolves around the murder of an important character and we keep guessing the killer till the end. But, the guessing game is neither engaging nor exciting as it ideally should be to leave audiences in awe.

The premise is built on deception, but the way in which each character gets deceived isn’t convincing enough. For a murder mystery to work, the suspense needs to be built slowly and effectively, but Iravukku Aayiram Kangal doesn’t quite get the suspense angle to work.

Arulnithi shines as a taxi driver who becomes the prime suspect in the murder case. Known to hand-pick his roles and scripts, it’s slightly unfortunate to see him not get his due in a project that falls flat. Mahima Nambiar is decent in her part and Ajmal, who plays the antagonist, is irritating. Anandraj and Chaya Singh don’t have much to do in their respective parts.

A well-written twist towards the end of Iravukku Aayiram Kangal serves as the film’s biggest saving grace, but unfortunately, it comes so late that one has aleady lost interest in the film.

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