Iru Dhuruvam 2 review: Prasanna, Nandaa impress in this neat crime drama that offers little surprises

3/5

Story: An off-duty police officer, who is reeling over his wife's disappearance, is assigned a sensational case involving the serial murders of a few cops. He starts working with a vengeance to find the culprit and pins hopes on attaining clues on his missing wife as well. Though the smart cop manages to track down the criminal based on a few assumptions and theories, the latter leaves little evidence, thus making circumstances quite challenging for the former. The criminal attempts to negotiate with the cop with a few tempting offers, but he wouldn't budge. What has fate in store for the criminal?

Review: Arun Prakash's Iru Dhuruvam 2 is a befitting sequel to Iru Dhuruvam which was released in 2019, albeit the second installment isn't devoid of shortcomings. The series follows the tried-and-tested path with ample entertaining moments, leaving the viewers thrilled.  

However, it could have been way better as some of the proceedings associated with a case investigation are quite similar to what we have witnessed in several movies of the same genre in the recent past. The lack of novelty is conspicuous, but a few interesting sequences make up for it.

It all begins with Victor (Nandaa), an off-duty cop who is yet to come to terms with his wife's disappearance, being offered a sensational case that involves a series of killings of a few police officers. Thilak (Linga), who has been handling the case, is miffed as the superior officer transfers the assignment to Victor.     

Though Victor suspects Lankeswaran (Prasanna), a motivational speaker, as the culprit behind the murders for various reasons, the former lacks adequate evidence. Despite putting in strenuous efforts, the emotionally affected cop fails to impress his seniors, leading to Thilak coming on board again. On the other hand, Lankeswaran is on a killing spree and tries to strike a deal with Victor.

While Iru Dhuruvam was an unabashed crime drama with more focus on whodunit elements, the second installment emphasizes on the emotional conflicts of the protagonist as well. This time around, with a different director, the series tries to engage the viewers with the cat-and-mouse game between the protagonist and antagonist.

The ego tussle between characters of Nandaa and Linga are convincing and elevates the bevy of conflicts the former encounters at regular intervals. Nandaa fits the bill in the role of a dejected husband and father who is also hell-bent on solving the case at any cost. 

Prasanna steals the show as the menacing motivational speaker who is into manipulating his clients for his own benefits. Some of his histrionics remind us of the character he portrayed in Thiruttu Payale 2, though. Linga stands out in a few face-off scenes with Nandaa while Abdool, Jeeva Ravi, Ajit Koshy and Sai Priyanka Ruth register their presence. 

The technical aspects, including background score, could have been better while its screenplay has relied on a convenient path to create conflicts. It works to an extent, but there aren't any episodes that leave us in awe. The antagonist scares us with his unpredictable behaviour, but doesn't come across as too terrifying. Some of the characters are underwritten because of which we aren't able to relate to them beyond a certain point.

Verdict: The second season of Iru Dhuruvam has its moments, thanks to some smart episodes and convincing conflicts. But the overall making and writing could have been much better.

Iru Dhuruvam 2 is streaming on SonyLIV