Movies often show how two people fall in love and live happily ever after, mostly getting married at the end of it. But what movies never talk about is what happens in a marriage. Two people might be head over heels in love with each other, but marriage, living together, building a family and a life together comes with its fair share of highs and lows. Irugapatru tells us the story of three couples, Mithra, who is a marriage counsellor and Mano played by Shraddha Srinath and Vikram Prabhu, Rangesh and Pavithra, new parents who are losing the spark and drifting apart played by Vidharth and Abarnathi and Arjun and Divya, a young couple who are struggling in the initial years of marriage played by Sri and Saniya Iyyapan.

The movie follows the story of these three couples and their challenges in matrimony. A common theme in the two couples that come for counselling is the lack of respect the husbands have for their wives. It’s such a common theme among marriages that it’s often dismissed. Women are taught to adjust and sacrifice post-marriages, they are conditioned to adapt to the new homes and families. No open channels of communication, lack of appreciation for their work and no validation from loved ones often drill resentment into them. There is so much that a woman is expected to be, she’s to be fit and look a certain way, she should work but not prioritise her career over family, she should be able to balance home and work faultlessly. The husbands are often the breadwinners who easily dismisses the work that a wife does at home and that is where the slow burn begins.

This is exactly the story of Rangesh and Pavithra. Rangesh is frustrated, he was never allowed to follow his dreams, he works a job that he isn’t passionate about and feels boxed up in his current life. All this is unleashed on his wife who is blamed for putting on weight, he shames her and makes her feel like she isn’t enough for him. His solution to this is a divorce which shatters her. She blames her weight for his lack of interest in her when the problem is unrelated to her physical appearance. When she shifts focus to herself, she becomes a more confident, happy person. The key to your happiness lies in your own hands, when you give that power to someone else, you are bound to be disappointed.

Arjun and Divya are stuck in a toxic pattern, Arjun belittles her and doesn’t give her enough credit for who she is or what she does. Even though their’s is a love marriage, he doesn’t understand her. Their ‘love language’ is quite opposite to each other and that is the reason for problems in their marriage. He is dismissive of her, probably a commentary on his conditioning as a boy. He views her as a wife, homemaker and eventually a mother, not giving her career or work any importance. When Divya realises that the water has gone beyond her head she puts her foot down.

The movie is a very realistic view of marriage, problems don’t arise in a day or two. They are mostly accumulated over time and are caused by a lack of communication. When two people aren’t able to voice out their concerns or show emotions, they start keeping to themselves and tend to drift apart. The movie shows beautifully, how couples can re-navigate their relationships. What’s interesting is how the movie doesn’t make a big deal about their issues, some marriages often fall into this pattern, it’s a phase that most couples face in their relationships. Like people are different, marriages are unique too.

Watch this movie to see how an individual’s mental health could be the reason they aren’t able to connect with their partner. We tend to find faults in our spouses and often do not look at our burning issues. It’s a sweet film that takes deep dives into the hearts and minds of people we love but shows us how sometimes second chances can make or break a relationship. Marriage is tailor-made, one size doesn’t fit all.