Alai (film)

Aathi (Silambarasan) and Meera (Trisha) are college students who first meet in a bar and fight for a silly reason. Then Aathi with his friends go to his friend's village and there he sees Meera who is also there with her friends. There some goons on a festival show light on Meera who is wearing a sari with her navel, waist, back visible. Then the goons lowers the light on her neck and then to her blouse and then to her waist and back. On seeing the light on her navel Meera tries to hide her waist and back. Then Aathi comes and beats the goons. Then Aathi and Meera comes to know that their best friends love each other and they help them to elope and do them a registered marriage. Then Aathi and Meera return to their houses where they realize they love each other. And much to their surprise their houses are beside each other. Then Aathi tries to tell Meera about his love but she doesn't care. And it is shown that Meera also loves him and then there comes a song called En Ragasiya Kanavugal. And then Aathi goes to Meera's house and sees her talking to her friend about him. Then again a song comes where again Aathi and Meera just romance each other. And then Aathi's father arranges him marriage with a businessman's daughter because of his debt. And then Aathi and Meera separate and Aathi tries to calm Meera who is crying which is heard by his to be fiancé and she tells that she is not interested in this marriage and Aathi and Meera happily marry.

Prior to release, the film made headlines when Silambarasan revealed that he was to undergo an image makeover for the film and move away from his "mass image" after appearing in such roles in Kadhal Azhivathillai and Dum.[1]

The film received generally poor reviews with a critic noting "with a wafer thin storyline the director attempts to stretch ones patience with so called humour and Trisha roaming in skimpy dresses. Post release the movie became popular only because of the song called "En Ragasiya Kanavugal".[2]

"Soon after the failure of Alai, it was reported that the lead pair would come together for a project title Malai produced by P L Thenappan, but the project never took off.[3] After a sabbatical following this film, Vikram Kumar returned in 2009 with the successful horror film Yavarum Nalam. Silambarasan and Trisha later came together eventually for the critically acclaimed Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010) by Gautham Menon, which became a commercial success.[4]

Another reviewer from The Hindu noted that "the youthful exploits of Silambarasan, the glamour of Trisha and the winsome music of Vidyasagar fail to do the trick, for the simple reason that the film lacks a taut screenplay with well-knit episodes.".[5] Simbu has to get over his Rajini fixation and try to do something original like acting for instance. The film became a financial failure at the box office.[6]

There are six songs composed by Vidyasagar.[7] Soundtrack received positive reviews.[8] Solakattu Bommai is a re-used tune from Vidyasagar's Malayalam song "Chinga Masam" in Meeshamadhavan.

• Alai at IMDb