Iraivan has many layers weaved into it: I Ahmed

CHENNAI: Director I Ahmed talks to us amid a busy day as the post-production work of his Iraivan is taking place at a rapid pace. The film that has been titled Iraivan had its first look poster with Jayam Ravi in a hostile look sporting a beard. “Not only the poster, the story and the title are such a conflict. Naming the film Iraivan for a psycho thriller has raised several questions from a lot of quarters so far. Iraivan is a story with several layers to it. I have tried to address this conflict in various levels and layers. Why Iraivan is because the hero decides to take a few issues on hand all by himself. This is how I should technically put it out. When things go out of hand , unlike most people who blame god for their fate, the hero sorts things out without breaking down,” says the filmmaker.

Ahmed also says that he ventures into a new territory with Iraivan. “Iraivan won’t be a typical film. I am sure many people would have said this before but this film doesn’t fall under a cliché. I do not intend to make films of the same genre. It has a new dimension to it,” Ahmed assures. The director agrees that it was quite challenging to strike a balance between a commercial film and an unconventional flick with Iraivan. “The screenplay is certainly for a commercial audience but with layers that I have described earlier. Some may get the gist and some people may not,” he adds.

Ahmed lauds Jayam Ravi and says that he had to show him in an angle which other filmmakers haven’t in the actor’s 19-year career. “He is someone who has done Zombie movies, and has soared till space with Tik Tik Tik. In Iraivan, he plays a cop with vulnerability and I believe that would be the talking point of his performance. After Thani Oruvan, Ravi and Nayanthara’s on screen chemistry too looks refreshing. It has been two films technically with Ravi now and I have been in the family way with him after Manithan. It has been a six-year-journey and I have been thinking only of him. Coming from a cinematic family, Ravi knows the sensibilities and the vision of a filmmaker that makes the process easier,” he explains.

Ahmed also credits Nayanthara and the faith she had in the script. “She is a hero with the kind of films she has been a part of lately. If she has agreed to do Iraivan it is because of the faith she has in the script. We have mutual admiration for each other and her role has shaped up really well. I can’t wait to present the film to you all,” he signs off.