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Wednesday, April 23, 2025
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TAMIL IRUDHI SUTTRU
EDITOR'S PICK
'Irudhi
Suttru': Packs a punch with solid performances
Rating: ***1/2
When was the last time a leading star played a grumpy, foul-mouthed and
ill-mannered womaniser in Indian cinema? In "Irudhi Suttru", director
Sudha portrays Madhavan (Prabhu), who plays a boxing coach in the Indian squad,
in ways most heroes won't be willing to see themselves on the screen.
In his introduction scene, he wakes up with a woman in bed who cribs about
travelling 20 km to spend time with him, only to be humiliated by his actions.
He's used to sleeping with random women ever since his wife eloped with another
boxer. Cut to next scene, charged with sexual harassment, he's transferred from
Hisar to Chennai. As a viewer, one quickly forms an opinion about Madhavan's
character and that's what Sudha wants from her audience.
In Chennai, Prabhu finds a potential boxing champion in Madhi, a fish dweller,
who is grumpier than him. He wants to train her and is willing to pay her Rs.500
per class. She gives in to the lucrative deal, not because she aspires to be a
boxer, but so that she could buy her mother a new sari. Early on, Prabhu pays
women to sleep with them. Now, he pays a woman to train her.
Unlike the regular template in sports films where the mentee goes the extra mile
to get noticed by the mentor, here the latter identifies the hidden talent in
the former.
Sudha beautifully explores the mentor-mentee relationship against the backdrop
of boxing and merely uses the sports angle as a metaphor. The story is about a
washed-out coach's shot at redemption when he finds a protege with all the
qualities of a champion, but the spotlight also stays on the unison of two
eccentrically diverse personalities and their common goal.
At one point, you're almost convinced that they might fall in love, but Sudha
duly avoids taking that route and stays faithful to the script.
One thing that's not clear is whether Madhi is really interested in boxing or
not. While she says she has been training from the age of 3 and idolises
Muhammad Ali, there's no sign of anything aspirational from her side.
Initially, she agrees to get trained because she can support her family
financially and later on, for her sister, who has been boxing for many years
with the hope of earning a police job in sports quota. Towards the end, she
fights for her coach. Never do we understand clearly what really motivates her
to box.
Though it's tough to shake off the predictable story, what still works in this
sports drama is the way it's treated. Extremely well-written, the dialogues will
be etched in your memory and so will the performances be.
Madhavan breathes life into the role of a grumpy coach with ease and elan, while
the extremely impressive newbie Ritika Singh steals the show with a knockout
performance. Both of them complement each other with the kind of raw acting
we've rarely seen. There's no way any other actress could've done a better job
than Ritika in this role.
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Prabhu is an Indian boxing association coach stationed at the Sports Authority of India, Hisar. He is arrogant, rude and a highly successful women's boxing coach. Above all he is a loner and has no time for social norms. He believes the girls who come to him for training come with absolutely no vision, and he gives them the vision. Prabhu becomes a victim of the association politics. He is transferred to Tamil Nadu, a state with dismal boxers on false sexual harassment charges. Prabhu challenges the corrupt old guard that he will make a champion wherever he maybe.
In this quest, he meets a 17-year-old fish seller with a rare fighting spirit but least interested in the sport. Mathi's never taken orders from anyone and Prabhu has never had an order disobeyed. It's a battle of wills between the reluctant girl who has all the talent and is least interested in promoting it and a man who sees in her the capacity to achieve what he never could.
When these two extremely similar characters collide, the chain reaction is a life altering melt down for them both. Wry, funny, and powerfully emotional, it’s essentially a story of two outcasts who heal each other.
Irudhi Suttru Director Sudha Kongara Thanked Nochikuppam People
Iruthi Suttru Team at Sathyabama University Stills
Irudhi Suttru Team in Ethiraj College Photos
Irudhi Suttru Thanks Media Meet Stills 