Aval Peyar Thamizharasi
| Aval Peyar Thamizharasi | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Meera Kathiravan |
| Written by | Meera Kathiravan |
| Starring | Jai Nandhagi |
| Cinematography | P. G. Muthiah |
| Edited by | Raja Mohammad |
| Music by | Vijay Antony |
Production companies | Blue Ocean Entertainment Moser Baer |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Aval Peyar Thamizharasi (transl. Her name is Thamizharasi) is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Meera Kathiravan. The film stars Jai, Manochitra (credited as Nandhagi and as the title character), Dhiyana, S. Theodore Baskaran and Ganja Karuppu in lead roles. The music was composed by Vijay Antony with cinematography by P. G. Muthiah and editing by Raja Mohammad. The film premiered in December 2009 at the 6th Dubai International Film Festival, had its theatrical release on 5 March 2010, and failed at the box office.
Plot
Siva Rao is a Thol Pavai puppeteer who, along with his family, travels from village to village, performing to make ends meet. Their fortunes change when they arrive in Tirunelveli, where a wealthy man named Chelladurai decides to support them because his young grandson Jyothi is fond of their art. Thamizharasi, Siva Rao's granddaughter, attends a local school and excels academically, eventually gaining admission to an engineering college in Pune.
During this time, Jyothi and Thamizharasi develop a close bond. However, tragedy strikes when Jyothi rapes Thamizharasi, altering her life forever. In response, Jyothi is sent away from the village by his grandfather to live with his father. Years later, Jyothi returns, seeking forgiveness and searching for Thamizharasi, who has disappeared. The story follows Jyothi's journey as he attempts to reconcile with Thamizharasi and atone for his past actions.
Cast
- Jai as Jyothi Murugan
- Nandhagi as Thamizharasi
- S. Theodore Baskaran as Chelladurai
- Veera Santhanam as Siva Rao
- Ganja Karuppu as Othappuli
- Dhiyana as Dancer
- Rama as Thamizharasi's mother
- S. S. Kumaran as Kuthoospandiraj
Production
Manochitra was cast as the lead actress after the director Meera Kathiravan met her at the Kanchopuram Kamakshi temple.[1] The director asked her to avoid interviews and abstain from the film's promotions to maintain the suspense of her identity till the audio launch. She was credited as Nandhagi.[2]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by Vijay Antony.[3] The audio launch event was held in early November 2009.[4][5] Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff.com wrote, "It looks like Vijay Antony is trying to break the mould of get-tunes-quick fixes and making genuine in-roads into a collection that tries to explore every facet of the musical spectrum. He might not have turned out a scintillating album yet, but despite a few familiar refrains, this one promises some endearing numbers".[6] Karthik of Milliblog wrote, "Vijay wasn't expected to produce a blockbuster, but this soundtrack is disappointing given the strides he had taken recently".[7]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nee Otha Sollu Sollu" | Ekadasi | Ranjith, Neetha | 4:49 |
| 2. | "Chikku Chikku Goods Vandi" | Ekadasi | Nancy, Silviya & Chorus | 3:58 |
| 3. | "Vadakka Therkka" | Ekadasi | Vineeth Sreenivasan | 4:01 |
| 4. | "Paalayan Kottai" | Na. Muthukumar | Vijay Antony | 4:01 |
| 5. | "Kel Tanaa Rangubhai" | Eknath | Malgudi Subha | 3:54 |
| 6. | "Yethanaiyo Katha Undu" | Ekadasi | Srimathumitha, Mahalakshmi & Chorus | 4:22 |
| 7. | "Othayadi Paadhai" | Rama Thiruvudaiyaan | Valappakkudi Veera Shankar | 2:36 |
| 8. | "Maadathila Oli Vilaka" | Rama Thiruvudaiyaan | Valappakkudi Veera Shankar | 3:36 |
| 9. | "Aararo Aariraro" | Rama Thiruvudaiyaan | Valappakkudi Veera Shankar | 6:36 |
| Total length: | 37:53 | |||
Release
Aval Peyar Thamizharasi was screened at the 6th Dubai International Film Festival in December 2009.[8] It had its theatrical release on 5 March 2010, clashing with Thambikku Indha Ooru and Veerasekaran. The film was released worldwide with 100 prints, with 93 alone in Tamil Nadu, which the media proclaimed was the highest for a film starring Jai as the sole lead actor. The media also felt it had the potential to outperform the competing films due to aggressive marketing by its producers, whereas the other films suffered from poor publicity and could not secure as many screens.[9] However, the film failed at the box office.[10]
Critical reception
Gautaman Bhaskaran of Hindustan Times wrote, "Kathiravan's effort must be lauded because he is still one of the few helmers in cinema bold enough to take his camera to the countryside and capture the dying wails of India's glorious heritage".[11] Sify wrote, "Well-intentioned in his attempts to make good cinema, Meera Kathiravan and producers Moserbaer and Blue Ocean deserve a pat on their backs for crafting a movie that will stay in your hearts . It is a welcome change from the usual mass masalas and need to be seen in that perceptive".[12]
Bhama Devi Ravi of The Times of India wrote, "Where the film falters is the second half, with very wooden performances from the lead pair, which is more the director's failure, since he fails to engage a strong emotional connect between the pair which was visible in Paruthi Veeran and Poo. However, he must be commended for the attempt at a near-classic film".[13] Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff.com wrote, "Director Meera Kadhiravan shows that he has a flair for comedy, a fierce loyalty for our art-forms and a genuine liking for logic. If he'd taken care at tightening his script, this would have been a cult classic".[14]
References
- ^ Kumar, S. R. Ashok (18 March 2010). "My first break — Nandhagi". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ "I was kept under wraps: Nandhagi". The Times of India. 7 November 2009. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "Aval Peyar Tamilarasi". JioSaavn. 2 November 2010. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
- ^ "Balu Mahendra launches 'Aval Peyar Tamilarasi'". The New Indian Express. 5 November 2009. Archived from the original on 24 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ "Folk and peppy numbers". The Hindu. 16 November 2009. Archived from the original on 24 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ Srinivasan, Pavithra (11 November 2009). "Aval Peyar Tamilarasi music is endearing". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 24 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ Karthik (2 November 2009). "Music review: Aval Peyar Tamilarasi (Tamil – Vijay Antony)". Milliblog. Archived from the original on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ "Dubai bound". The Hindu. 23 December 2009. Archived from the original on 31 December 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ^ "Friday Fury- March 5". Sify. 5 March 2010. Archived from the original on 13 March 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ^ "The hide & seek in Tollywood!". The Times of India. 3 June 2010. Archived from the original on 16 March 2026. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ Bhaskaran, Gautaman (11 March 2010). "Review: Aval Peyar Tamilarasi". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
- ^ "Aval Peyar Tamilarasi". Sify. 6 March 2010. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
- ^ Ravi, Bhama (6 March 2010). "Aval Peyar Tamilarasi Movie Review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ^ Srinivasan, Pavithra (5 March 2010). "Review: Aval Peyar Tamizharasi falls flat". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.