Claim: Aishwarya Rai portrayed a character.

Iruvar -LRB- The Duo -RRB- is a 1997 Indian Tamil epic political drama film co-written , produced and directed by Mani Ratnam . The film which is loosely based on the relationship between cinema and politics in Tamil Nadu , features Mohanlal in lead role along with Prakash Raj , Aishwarya Rai , Revathi , Gouthami , Tabu , and Nassar . Rai , a former Miss World , made her screen debut through this film in dual characters . The film had its soundtrack composed by A. R. Rahman and the cinematography was by Santosh Sivan . It was dubbed and released in Malayalam in the same name and Telugu as Iddaru   The film was showcased in the Masters section at the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival . The film was a critical success and won 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 and Sound 1000 greatest films of all time which is considered to be one of the most respected film polls all over the world .