Aelay Review
Star Cast : Samuthirakani, Manikandan, Madhumathi
Director : Halitha Shameem
Halitha Shameem's Aelay is a feel-good drama that largely depicts the relationship woes between a happy-go-lucky dad Muthukutty (Samuthirakani) and his earnest son Parthi(Manikandan).
Muthukutty lives his life to the fullest that his kith and kin equally hate and love him. However, Parthi refuses to talk to him after a point as his dad's activities constantly embarrass him among his friends and village folks. Cut to the present, Parthi comes to know that his dad has passed away and he immediately rushes back to his village from Chennai.
More than his dad's death, he starves for parotta and blames the hurried travel that did not allow him to have a proper sleep. Meanwhile, we also get to know Parthi's love interest Naachiyaa (Madhumathi) is a good friend of Muthukutty. Will Parthi at least get to know the humane side of his dad during the last journey?
Halitha Shameem is the filmmaker to watch out for in Tamil cinema. Her ability to depict the issues in human relationships stands out and the icing on the cake is that her writing doesn't force anything upon us. There is no needless melodrama and she makes you smile throughout the film although she becomes overindulgent sometimes with the needless detour by extending the climax by at least fifteen to twenty minutes. Also, the temple fight sounds so cliched for a Halitha Shameem film.
Aelay's only minus points are the subplots and the editing could have been slick. Samuthirakani is in superb form. Manikandan is a good talent and he proves it once again with his measured performance. Newcomer Madhumathi looks cute and delivers what is required for hercharacter.
Theni Eshwar has given a visual treat although the entire film has been shot in a village. Music by Aruldev and Kaber Vasuki is another big strength of Aelay.
To conclude, Aelay is a breezy feel-good drama that makes you smile in several places but it falls short due to the overstretched second half and climax.
