<p>Iravin Nizhal</p>.<p>Tamil (Theatres)</p>.<p>Director: R Parthiban</p>.<p>Cast: R Parthiban, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Robot Shankar</p>.<p>3.5/5</p>.<p>'Iravin Nizhal', the new film written and directed by R Parthiban, opens with an exhaustive behind-the-scenes segment that details the effort behind the film’s big selling point: its claim to being the first single-shot film structured in a non-linear format. It’s a fairly entertaining introduction. Parthiban lands cheeky one-liners and lends some spirit to this newsreel-mode recap but soon, the segment starts taking the form of a primer, revealing characters and their designs.</p>.<p>It prepares us to watch the film in the context of its making. There is the problem of introducing to the viewer the style of a film ahead of its substance. The single-shot technique which doesn’t leave room for one wrong step – the introduction captures the agonising retakes followed by the elation of getting it right, finally – comes with the risk of being distractive. The structure could have thrown the viewer off the plot. What makes 'Iravin Nizhal' a remarkable experiment is that it doesn’t and at a run-time of 100 minutes, it hits a balance between rare form and content.</p>.<p>This is the story of Nandu (Parthiban), told in different timelines with his present self doubling as narrator. The man is hurting, his redemption is elusive. Nandu navigates a story stripped of hope; it’s about abuse, finding and losing love, guilt, shallow faith and a rough road to atonement. Parthiban, the actor, finds form toward the latter part of the film where he engages in familiar wordplay and cold humour.</p>.<p>The multi-timeline narrative, steered by the relentlessness of the single shot, starts rough. The protagonist’s rise in ranks as a feared criminal is an arc that drifts to gangland film trappings but the writing rarely slips. Parthiban sets the episodic flashbacks to good pace, their staging elevated by a terrific score from A R Rahman. Nandu’s tragedy finds its elements in a superbly directed sequence in which he revisits the death of a loved one. He is mournful as he watches his younger self, pleading with him, almost telling him that he could stop the inevitable.</p>.<p>'Puthiya Paathai' (the new road), Parthiban’s 1989 debut feature as actor-director, was seen as an interesting detour in mainstream Tamil cinema. Three decades on, the filmmaker is still at it; he has at once been talking about the struggles to finance his work and managing to stay relevant without making the easy compromise. His new film cuts another fine road. </p>
<p>Iravin Nizhal</p>.<p>Tamil (Theatres)</p>.<p>Director: R Parthiban</p>.<p>Cast: R Parthiban, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Robot Shankar</p>.<p>3.5/5</p>.<p>'Iravin Nizhal', the new film written and directed by R Parthiban, opens with an exhaustive behind-the-scenes segment that details the effort behind the film’s big selling point: its claim to being the first single-shot film structured in a non-linear format. It’s a fairly entertaining introduction. Parthiban lands cheeky one-liners and lends some spirit to this newsreel-mode recap but soon, the segment starts taking the form of a primer, revealing characters and their designs.</p>.<p>It prepares us to watch the film in the context of its making. There is the problem of introducing to the viewer the style of a film ahead of its substance. The single-shot technique which doesn’t leave room for one wrong step – the introduction captures the agonising retakes followed by the elation of getting it right, finally – comes with the risk of being distractive. The structure could have thrown the viewer off the plot. What makes 'Iravin Nizhal' a remarkable experiment is that it doesn’t and at a run-time of 100 minutes, it hits a balance between rare form and content.</p>.<p>This is the story of Nandu (Parthiban), told in different timelines with his present self doubling as narrator. The man is hurting, his redemption is elusive. Nandu navigates a story stripped of hope; it’s about abuse, finding and losing love, guilt, shallow faith and a rough road to atonement. Parthiban, the actor, finds form toward the latter part of the film where he engages in familiar wordplay and cold humour.</p>.<p>The multi-timeline narrative, steered by the relentlessness of the single shot, starts rough. The protagonist’s rise in ranks as a feared criminal is an arc that drifts to gangland film trappings but the writing rarely slips. Parthiban sets the episodic flashbacks to good pace, their staging elevated by a terrific score from A R Rahman. Nandu’s tragedy finds its elements in a superbly directed sequence in which he revisits the death of a loved one. He is mournful as he watches his younger self, pleading with him, almost telling him that he could stop the inevitable.</p>.<p>'Puthiya Paathai' (the new road), Parthiban’s 1989 debut feature as actor-director, was seen as an interesting detour in mainstream Tamil cinema. Three decades on, the filmmaker is still at it; he has at once been talking about the struggles to finance his work and managing to stay relevant without making the easy compromise. His new film cuts another fine road. </p>