Aelay Review: Insignificant Bittersweet Melodrama!

Aelay Review: Director Halitha Shameem’s last directorial anthological film, Sillu Karupatti, was among the best films of 2019. With all the anticipations, I started to watch Aelay, only to be disappointed by the weary storytelling. Starring Samuthirakanni, Manikandan in the lead roles, and a few others as the supporting cast, Aelay premiered on Star Vijay Channel and began streaming on Netflix soon after its direct-to-TV premiere.

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The story of Aelay begins with Parthi (Manikandan) returning to his home village for the sudden demise of his father, Muthukutty (Samuthirakani). An ice-cream seller by profession, Muthukutty is shown as a carefree father, who is quirky, does odd, despicable things to earn money.

Muthukutty’s attitude creates a rift between the father-son duo, and both ends in not talking terms. The narrative takes us through Parthi, recalling his past with his father and his love life with Nachiyar (Madhumathi). The 150-minute long Aelay also shows how he deals with the drama happening at the funeral.

With Aelay rocking back-and-forth recounting the past of Muthukutty and Parthi and managing the ongoing funeral, Halitha Shameem misses to stand ground on one narrative and makes the film exceptionally long. The love portion between Manikandan and Madhumathi felt largely nugatory and affected the films pacing. Also, the romance wasn’t fresh or anything that we haven’t seen earlier. It was poorly written, flimsy, and further burdened the narrative.

Samuthirakani is in top form, shines bright, and carries the entire movie effortlessly. Manikandan is decent and gave his best to his character. Madhumathi, on the other hand, tried to be as supportive as needed, except for her role, and her scenes were the ones which the director Halitha Shameem missed to dip in her creative lake. I was quite amused to see Pushkar-Gayathri credited as “Creative Producers.”

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Overall, the takeaway from Aelay on Netflix India depends on what you expect. Unlike me, who had a lot of faith in Halitha Shameem, if you want to watch a not-so-serious emotional saga and want to pass some time, Aelay would please you. Despite what I said, Aelay had several potential and scope to improve. There was some comical scene to provide you quick relief, and the entire film had this breezy, upbeat vibe which is considerable enough. Watch ‘Aelay’ on Netflix here.

Rating – 2.5/5 | Grade – C+

Images via Y Not Studios