Iruvar
Iruvar (transl. The Duo) is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language epic political drama film co-written, produced and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film, inspired by the lives of M. Karunanidhi, M. G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa is set against the backdrop of cinema and politics in Tamil Nadu. It stars an ensemble cast including Mohanlal, Prakash Raj, Aishwarya Rai, Revathi, Gautami, Tabu and Nassar. Rai, who was crowned Miss World 1994, made her screen debut through the film, playing dual characters.
| Iruvar | |
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Poster | |
| Directed by | Mani Ratnam |
| Screenplay by | Mani Ratnam |
| Dialogues by |
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| Produced by | Mani Ratnam G. Srinivasan |
| Starring | Mohanlal Prakash Raj Aishwarya Rai Revathi Tabu Gautami |
| Cinematography | Santosh Sivan |
| Edited by | Suresh Urs |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Madras Talkies |
Release date |
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Running time | 158 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
The high-budget film had its original soundtrack composed by A. R. Rahman and the cinematography was by Santosh Sivan. This film marked Mohanlal's debut in Tamil cinema after having only a cameo in Gopura Vasalile.
The film was screened in the Masters section at the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival. Iruvar went on to become a critical success winning the Best Film award at the Belgrade International Film Festival and two National Film Awards. In 2012, Iruvar was included by critic Rachel Dwyer in the 2012 British Film Institute Sight & Sound 1000 greatest films of all time. In a 2013 interview, Ratnam said he considered Iruvar as his best film. It used DTS 6 track sound recording.