'Irudhi Suttru' review: Ritika Singh and Madhavan's performances pack a punch

Film: Irudhi Suttru
Cast: R Madhavan, Ritika Singh, Mumtaz Sorcar, Nasser
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Rating: ***

What it's about: Films like Irudhi Suttru are not made in Tamil cinema every day, so the film is a refreshing experience for the audience. Sports dramas are making slowly their way into mainstream Kollywood and we have seen a few in the past year. But what makes Irudhi Suttru more interesting and unique is that it is written and directed by a woman - Sudha Kongara Prasad.  

Prabhu Selvaraj (Madhavan) is a rude and arrogant boxing coach in Hisar (Haryana) who constantly anatagonises his superiors and gets transferred to Chennai as a result. He loves his drink, women and shoots his mouth off at any given opportunity. He earns the reputation of being a loser. In  Chennai, he doesn't find any of the girls who come to train for boxing talented, until he meets Madhi (Ritika Singh), a young fisherwoman. Madhi's sister (Mumtaz Sorcar) is a boxer but Prabhu finds a spark in this girl. He sees the same spark that he believes he had when he was young and wants to make Madhi a world-class boxer. Perhaps he wants to live vicariously. Madhi is a free spirit who is crass and doesn't care for or follow the conventional norms of society. When Prabhu approaches her to teach her boxing, she thinks he wants to have sex with her. But he bribes her to come to class.  How does Prabhu train her? Does she actually become a boxer? Will she succeed or be another failed talent?

What's good: Director Sudha Kongara Prasad focuses on these two characters in the film—Prabhu Selvaraj (Madhavan) and Madhi essayed by real-life MMA artist Ritika Singh. So the film can actually be described as a romance against the backdrop of boxing. We have heard and read many stories about how Indian sports is tainted with issues of bribes, sexual favours, discrimination, power and politics. The director highlights some of those issues fleetingly in the film. She showcases the mentor and protege relationship between Prabhu and Madhi beautifully on screen. We can see Madhi's personality transform from the first scene to the last. She goes from being a crass fisherwoman who doesn't care about the world to a boxer who wants to win the respect and love of her coach. The rollercoaster of emotions— anger, sadness, pain, vulnerability, aggression—that the coach and protege go through is etched out very well by the director.

Ritika Singh is a fantastic find and her performance is brilliant in the film. It's tough to believe she's not an actor when you watch her on screen. She doesn't know Tamil but her lip-sync is perfect. She lives and breathes the role of Madhi. Madhavan has transformed himself for the role of a boxing coach and delivers an energetic performance. Nasser, as always, delivers a standout performance in this movie.

What's not: This sports drama, while having great performances, is quite cliched as far as the story goes. The story of aspiring sportspeople who come from poor families and want to make it big is not new. Irudhi Suttru may be about a coach and his protege but it's a predictable and uninspiring story. 

What to do: Ritika Singh is a knock-out in the film and Madhavan delivers a sure-shot punch.