Irugapatru Review: A couples therapy session with an ample mix of hits and misses

2.5/5

Story: Three couples from different age groups and economic strata navigate challenges in their respective marriages

Review: Relationships are like stretching a rubber band as far as you can. When it snaps, some people tend to throw it away, but others try to reuse it. Irugapatru doles out many such pieces of advice.

Often times, the film comes across as a couples therapy session, but what helps the case is that most of these advices are thrown around by Mitra (Shraddha Srinath), a therapist and marriage counsellor, around whom the rest of the stories are intricately weaved into the narration.

The film's director Yuvraaj Dhayalan uses counselling as the medium to reduce the friction in the relationships. The troubled couples instantly take this route, when things begin to fall apart, which is a rarity in real life and not affordable to all as well.

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 Irugapatru, stays true to its title and three lead couples in the film, hold their relationship tight. The couples belong to different age groups and hail from different economic strata.

The most empathetic and relatable among the tracks is that of Rangesh (Vidhaarth) and Pavithra (Abarnathi) and both strike an instant chord with some fantastic performance. Rangesh constantly reprimands his wife for gaining weight post her pregnancy, so much so that he can't stand the sight of her.

He comes across as a male chauvinist, who later believes that divorce is the only way out of it, and this big life-altering decision comes soon after a conversation with his boss. The way he later breaks down in front of the counsellor tugs at our heart.

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The good thing about Irupatru is that it doesn't show divorce in a bad light. In fact, there is a character who says that it's better to be single and happy, rather than being married and unhappy.

In a parallel narrative, it seems like all love is lost between 20-somethings Arjun (Sri) and Divya (Saniya Iyappan) and that they can't even have one conversation without picking a fight. At first it seems like Divya is aloof and Arjun is the responsible one, but as their plot progresses there is a tectonic shift and we realise that their relationship is the most strained among the three with Arjun's behaviour turning to nothing short of toxic emotional abuse.

The irony is that the weakest plot is the relationship between the lead pair Mithra and Manohar (Vikram Prabhu). Being a counsellor Mithra wants to ensure that there is no strain in their relationship and follows the psychology rulebook to the T. Manohar, on the other hand, is irritated that Mithra doesn't leave the therapist at the doorstep and doesn't 'behave' like a regular wife."

Their story is also the most shallow one among the three. They live in an aesthetically appealing house where everything is spic and span and no object is moved from here to there. We do not see much of their daily life, barring the breathing and meditation exercises and Mithra conducting 'Honesty Hour' sessions where they discuss the problems in their relationship.

They are always well dressed and their lives include sudden getaways, camping and using some chic cutlery for their daily meal. All these together appear way too chic to be realistic. Their conversations, too, appear shallow. It's the performances of the lead cast that makes their character arcs believable. And what's interesting is that its the narratives of Divya and Arjun, and Rangesh and Pavithra, that helps Mithra's own predicament.

The film gets many things wrong. For instance, Pavithra being asked to reduce her weight might be setting a wrong example for women who are facing body image issues. And despite not painting divorce in a bad light, the film does give a happy ending to all the stories.
Though these characters may not stay strong in our minds, the film leaves you with a warm feeling.

Verdict: Despite its many flaws, Irugapatru comes across a breezy watch for the weekend.