Aelay

<p>An unexpected life event forces a young man to reconsider the past and his opinions about his father, who was an ice-cream seller. In May 2019, announced their collaboration with director duo ‘s newly launched production studio Wallwatcher Films, for ‘s new project titled . Both the directors also joined the film’s team as the creative director, with Shameem revealed that she had written the script nine years back, and was waiting for the right producer. She earlier worked as an assistant to Pushkar and Gayathri, whom agreed to produce the film after her narration. The film was touted to be a neo-realistic comedy set in rural areas, with the relationship dynamics between a father and son at its core. Shameem decided to cast and , whom were a part of the director’s (2019), essaying the roles of father and son, whereas the rest of the cast were non-actors from the village of Manjunayakanpatti in district. Principal photography began in on 3 May 2019, where the makers planned to shoot the film in a single stretch, and on 1 July 2019. The songs are composed by Kaber Vasuki and . The original score is composed by Aruldev, as he earlier worked with Shameem in her debut film (2014). The soundtrack album features six songs with lyrics written by Kaber Vasuki, Halitha Shameem, M. K. Kadal Vendhan and K. Chitrasenan. The album was released by on 1 February 2021. The film was initially scheduled for a theatrical release in September 2019, but was postponed due to the post-production delays and the . The official trailer of the film was released on the occasion of , 26 January 2021 and the film’s release date of 12 February 2021 was announced. A day before the scheduled release, the makers withdrew plans for theatrical release and further announced that the film will be aired directly through on 28 February 2021. Exhibitors demanded a film should have its streaming premiere only after 30-days of theatrical run, this was one of the reasons that the makers went for a straight-to-television premiere. After its television premiere, the film began streaming via from 5 March 2021. M. Suganth of called out “Aelay” as “a journey that leaves you with a smile even if the ride was sort of bumpy for some parts”, giving 3 out of 5 stars for the film. called the film as a “delightful watch”; giving 3 out of 5, the review further stated “With an in-form Samuthirakani and a high humour quotient, Aelay will surprise you in ways you wouldn’t expect it to”. Avinash Ramachandran of also gave 3 out of 5, writing “The film stays afloat, courtesy its efficient humour, some good performances from the leads, and impressive music”. called the film “a breezy feel-good drama”, adding “it makes you smile in several places but it falls short due to the overstretched second half and climax.”. Srinivasa Ramanujam from noted “director Halitha Shameem’s latest offering lacks pace but the performances and characterisation make up for it.” Despite criticising its lengthy pace, Haricharan Pudipeddi of called as a “fun, sweet film that gets so much right about life in a small village and their tradition”. Reviewing for , stated the film as watchable, despite its issues. He wrote “There’s always something fresh and interesting and “quirky” enough to match the score, like the father and son giving up a chase while halfway up a tree. But you wish Halitha had leaned one way and stayed that course”.</p>