Iruvar

Iruvar (transl. The Duo ) is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language political drama film co-written, produced and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film, inspired by the lives of M. G. Ramachandran, M. Karunanidhi and J. Jayalalithaa is set against the backdrop of cinema and politics in Tamil Nadu. It stars Mohanlal and Prakash Raj as friends-turned-political opponents, with Aishwarya Rai, Revathi, Gautami, and Tabu portraying the women in their lives.

Rai, who was crowned Miss World 1994, made her screen debut through the film, playing dual characters. The high-budget film had its original soundtrack composed by A. R. Rahman and the cinematography was by Santosh Sivan. This film marked Mohanlal's debut in Tamil cinema after having only a cameo in Gopura Vasalile.

The film was screened in the Masters section at the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival. Iruvar went on to become a critical success winning the Best Film award at the Belgrade International Film Festival and two National Film Awards. In 2012, Iruvar was included by critic Rachel Dwyer in the 2012 British Film Institute Sight & Sound 1000 greatest films of all time.[1] In a 2013 interview, Ratnam said he considered Iruvar as his best film. It used DTS 6 track sound recording.