Iraivi (Eng: Goddess) is a 2016 Indian Tamil romantic drama film directed by Karthik Subbaraj and produced by Thirukumaran Entertainment. The film features an ensemble cast with S. J. Surya, Vijay Sethupathi, Bobby Simha, Anjali, Kamalinee Mukherjee and Karunakaran playing starring roles. The film was well received by critics.
Iraivi centres around three men and the women in their life: a struggling and alcoholic film director Arul (S. J. Surya) and his wife Yazhini (Kamalinee Mukherjee); Arul’s best friend Michael (Vijay Sethupathi) and his wife Ponni (Anjali); and Arul’s younger brother Jagan (Bobby Simha). Arul was a renowned film director until he fell out with the producer of his latest directorial film, because of which the film never released. To overcome his sorrow, he became a chronic alcoholic and started harassing Yazhini. Though Yazhini often threatens to divorce Arul for his behaviour, she changes her mind each time due to her love for him. Michael, an artifact dealer, is forced to marry Ponni, despite being in love with a widow Malar (Pooja Devariya). However, Malar has no love for Michael, merely considering their relationship as friends with benefits. Michael openly reveals to Ponni that he is not interested in being her husband and ignores her.
Yazhini tries to convince Arul to seek the producer’s forgiveness and get his film released so that they both could return to a normal life. When Arul refuses, the producer himself steps in and asks Arul to pay him 4,00,000 to get his film released. Michael and Jagan, with the help of their friend Ramesh (Karunakaran), steal a temple idol and sell it for 4,00,000, so that Arul’s film can be released. Unfortunately, the producer has already decided to remake Arul’s film with an entirely new cast and with his younger brother as the director. Arul confronts the producer, who tries to kill him. In a fit of rage, Michael bludgeons the producer to death and is soon sentenced to seven years imprisonment for his crime. An angry Ponni starts ignoring her husband, never visits him in jail, and eventually returns to her village. Meanwhile, Yazhini returns to her parents’ house and files for divorce against Arul, fed up of his alcoholism.
Arul is sent to rehab to overcome his alcoholism and is released two years later. Now sober, Arul tries to convince Yazhini to return to him, to no avail. Meanwhile, Arul and Jagan bail out Michael, who leaves for Ponni’s village in an attempt to restart his married life with her. Ponni agrees to come back with him on the condition that he breaks his friendship with Arul. The producer’s wife and brother meet with Arul and decide to sell the production rights of his film to him for 20,00,000. In order to get the money, Michael and Jagan again team up with Ramesh to steal an idol from a Kerala temple and sell it. However, Ramesh drugs Michael and runs away with the idol. Michael is arrested the following morning, but he manages to escape from the police and returns to Chennai. On confronting Ramesh, he finds out that Jagan was responsible for getting him arrested at Kerala. Jagan was also in love with Ponni and was disgusted at the way Michael treated her. When Michael was in jail, Jagan declared his love for Ponni, who reciprocated, but was forced to return to her village the next day as she was unable to decide between Michael and Jagan. Jagan then decided to get Michael arrested so that Ponni could leave Michael for good and start a new life with him. After confronting Ponni over her love for Jagan, both Michael and her decide to forget everything that happened and plan to leave Chennai to start a new life.
Arul, who has successfully acquired the production rights for his film, decides to once again convince Yazhini to return to him. Yazhini, who is getting engaged to another person, forgives him and agrees to return to him, as long as her new husband-to-be agrees. Meanwhile, a drunk Jagan, basking in Arul’s success, arrives at Michael’s shop. Michael picks up a fight with him over Ponni and accidentally kills him, forcing Michael and Ponni to go into hiding. When the train Michael and Ponni are travelling in stops at Palur, Arul notices Michael and shoots him, taking revenge for Jagan’s death. As he is taken to prison, Arul contacts Yazhini and pretends that he has once again returned to his drunken habits, effectively ending their relationship.
In the end, with their respective husbands out of the way, Ponni and Yazhini relish their newly found freedom by enjoying themselves in the rain.
Directed by Karthik Subbaraj
Produced by C. V. Kumar
Written by Karthik Subbaraj
Starring S. J. Surya, Vijay Sethupathi, Bobby Simha, Kamalinee Mukherjee, Anjali, Karunakaran
Music by Santhosh Narayanan
Cinematography Sivakumar Vijayan
Edited by Vivek Harshan
Production Thirukumaran Entertainment
Distributed by Abi & Abi Pictures & Studio Green
Release dates 3 June 2016
Running time 160 mins
Country India
Language Tamil
