IRUMUDI : Raviteja’s film is too dark to digest, too emotional to handle, but not so spiritual.

Imagine using the sacred imagery of Ayyappa devotees to tell a story about the everyday struggles of young girls. Irumudi does exactly that. But if the film ultimately wants to talk about societal issues faced by young girls, I’m not sure Irumudi was the right title or the right vessel for the story.

My Question.

Ever since I watched Irumudi, one question has stayed with me. If an alcoholic can give up alcohol for 41 days, and if an entire town believes that taking Ayyappa deeksha can help someone leave alcohol behind, why didn’t the film make the people, rowdies or ill-mannered men who pose a threat to society believe in the same concept and change themselves?

Maybe the director believes that an alcoholic is a bigger threat to society than a pervert. Or perhaps the writer/director wanted to say that only powerful heroism can bring change, and not the sacred element that the film initially establishes.

But if the second idea was the intention, why call the film Irumudi? If the sacred element isn’t ultimately what changes the people who need to change, almost anything else could have been a more appropriate title.

Makeover for Raviteja

Ravi Teja, the Mass Maharaja of Telugu cinema, is someone who can entertain audiences of all ages equally. His growth in Telugu cinema is a case study for newcomers.

But over the last few years, Ravi Teja seemed to believe that dancing with heroines and fighting villains were the only mass elements that made him the Mass Maharaja. Eventually, there came a point when people and even his fans started giving up on him.
Ravi Teja seems to have taken the criticism seriously.

And now comes a film that doesn’t follow the usual commercial meter or the regular Telugu-film template. You find a setup, emotions and storytelling style here that feel more familiar to Tamil cinema.
He chose a different path, and Ravi Teja looks damn fresh compared to what we’ve seen from him in the last few years.

Devotion is the new selling point

Lord Ayyappa is a powerful deity whom millions of people follow. During the deeksha, we rarely see devotees breaking their discipline or coming out of character.

Director Shiva Nirvana uses this aspect effectively, especially in the second half, where the film establishes that an Ayyappa devotee doesn’t easily give in to his impulses.

Devotion has become a new selling point in Telugu cinema. Whether it is Lord Hanuman, Lord Rama or Lord Krishna, filmmakers have often succeeded in blending their stories with devotion.

But this is where Irumudi bothered me. The young girls in the film face issues because of the perverts around them. The story eventually finds a solution to their problem but Ayyappa or the principles of deeksha don’t become part of that solution. That was the disconnect I couldn’t get past.

Eventually, the hero comes to believe in the concept, but by then, it feels like the idea has already run its course. Instead of feeling moved by it, I found myself questioning why the film spent so much time establishing that concept in the first place.
If devotion was meant to be the film’s transformative force, I wanted to see it transform the people who actually needed to change not simply become something the hero eventually believes in.

My Final opinion

Irumudi is already a hit and is making good money at the box office. Families are rushing to theatres, and honestly, this is a story that should be seen by families, especially those with girl children. But the issue the film talks about has existed for a long time.

If the solution is going to be the same old route of chopping heads, then why call the film Irumudi and bring Ayyappa devotees into the narrative?

If everyone is going to follow the same route, why not make them take deeksha? Why not at least show that following religious principles can bring some change in human behaviour? No. The director chose heroism, and somewhere along the way, I gave up.

The emotions are quite heavy, and the ending was too hard for me to digest. The film itself is dark, and some of the scenes involving young-child abuse were extremely difficult to watch.

At least, devotion didn’t have to be the entire solution. But a little change in human behaviour through devotion and religious discipline would have been the need of the hour. That, for me, is what Irumudi misses.
Perhaps the director himself didn’t completely believe in the title.

I would rate the film 2.5/5

Title doesn’t suit the narrative.