Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey

Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNarayan Nagendra Rao
Written byNarayan Nagendra Rao
Produced byC. H. Mayuri Shekar
Starring
CinematographyGopi Amarnath
Edited byM. Thiyagarajan
Music byAchu
Production
company
Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Creations
Release date
  • 27 July 2012 (2012-07-27)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey (transl. Entranced by dusk) is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language independent romance film written and directed by Narayan Nagendra Rao in his debut. Produced by C. H. Mayuri Shekar of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Creations, it stars Aari Arujunan and Shubha Phutela in her only acting credit, with Subbu Panchu, R. S. Shivaji, Balaji Venugopal, Tejasvini and Karunakaran in pivotal roles. Set in real time, it follows two strangers, played by Aari and Phutela, falling in love after meeting in a coffee shop. The music was composed by Achu, cinematography was handled by Gopi Amarnath and editing by M. Thiyagarajan. The film was released on 27 July 2012.

Plot

Cast

Adapted from the closing credits:[1]

Production

Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey is the directorial debut of Narayan Nagendra Rao.[2] He revealed that the idea for the film occurred to him on a rainy day during his visit to a coffee shop when he was "down and out".[3] According to him, "The run time and the psychological time of the story is the same" in the film.[4] C. H. Mayuri Shekar of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Creations agreed to produce the film after Nagendra Rao not only narrated the script but made her listen to the songs. Cinematography was handled by Gopi Amarnath, editing by M. Thiyagarajan and art direction by J. P. K. Prem.[5]

Shubha Phutela was cast as the lead actress. A non-native Tamil speaker, she had to learn the language, and it took her over two months of practice to get the pronunciation right. The director wanted to opt for live-sound recording, making it more difficult for Phutela.[6] She had to opt out of a Kannada film Jai Bajarangabali, choosing to give her priority dates to completing Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey.[7] Phutela died in October 2012, making Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey the only film she ever acted in.[8] Aari Arujunan, the lead actor, mentioned that it was "really challenging to play an ordinary guy" as he had to consciously keep his emotions to a minimum at all times.[9] Tejasvini was cast after the makers saw her as an anchor at Sun TV.[10]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album features nine songs composed by Achu.[11] The album was released on 14 February 2012.[12][13] The song "Oh Baby Girl" attained popularity.[14]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Oh Baby Girl"Achu, Narayan Nagendra RaoHemachandra, Achu3:46
2."Yaaro Ivalo"RohiniHaricharan3:29
3."Yen Uyirey"RohiniKarthik4:37
4."Yaen Indha Dhideer Thirupam"Achu, Narayan Nagendra RaoAchu4:31
5."Nerathin Neram Yellam"Narayan Nagendra RaoNarayan Nagendra Rao, Chinmayi, Achu1:40
6."Yen Uyirey" (reprise)RohiniK. S. Chithra4:23
7."Kadal Karayiley"AchuSriram Parthasarathy2:46
8."MPM Anthem"AchuAchu2:35
9."Yen Uyirey" (unplugged)RohiniBombay Jayashri3:57
Total length:31:44

Release

The first press meet for Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey was held on 15 February 2012, with Ameer as chief guest.[15] The film was released on 27 July 2012, alongside Suzhal and Pollangu,[16] and Pechiyakka Marumagan. Despite all four films being low budgeted, the media noted that Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey generated considerable hype mainly due to the popularity of its music.[17]

Reception

A reviewer from Sify wrote that Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey was "back breakingly long and turns out to be a boring affair", continuing to quote that the director had "tried out an experimental film which is preachy, monotonous and moves at snail pace".[18] The Times of India critic M. Suganth called it a "largely uninteresting — and also a little pretentious — film that fails in execution, the chief culprit being the pacing".[19] Karthik Subramanian from The Hindu appreciated Gopi Amarnath's cinematography and some of the cast performances, but criticised all the other aspects, concluding, "Painfully boring script makes the running time of close to two hours feel like an entire day at the cinema".[20] Malini Mannath of The New Indian Express wrote, "Experimental in its narrative style, the film is targeted at an elite urban audience. But at times, it turns a tad monotonous and bland".[21]

References

  1. ^ Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey (motion picture) (in Tamil). Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Creations. 2012. End credits, from 1:47:20 – via Sun NXT.
  2. ^ "A film without a hero or villain". The New Indian Express. 7 February 2012. Archived from the original on 14 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  3. ^ Manigandan, K. R. (25 March 2012). "One film, five tales". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 December 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  4. ^ Raghavan, Nikhil (1 October 2011). "Itsy-bitsy". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  5. ^ Kumar, S. R. Ashok (25 February 2012). "Audio Beat: Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  6. ^ Shastry, Vaibhav (19 February 2012). "Had tough time learning the Tamil language: Shubha". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  7. ^ CR, Sharanya (23 February 2012). "Shubha Phutela sets her priorities right". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  8. ^ S, Venkadesan (26 October 2012). "'Shubha's first movie was her last'". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 25 September 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  9. ^ Shastry, Vaibhav (26 February 2012). "Playing a simple person the toughest job: Aari". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  10. ^ Gupta, Rinku (27 October 2014). "'I Had to Shed My Tomboyish Looks'". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 14 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey". IsaiShop. 26 June 2023. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  12. ^ "Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Apple Music. 14 February 2012. Archived from the original on 7 March 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  13. ^ Karthik (14 February 2012). "Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey (Music review), Tamil – Achu". Milliblog. Archived from the original on 20 January 2026. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  14. ^ Sundar, Mrinalini (13 September 2017). "'Oh Baby Girl' gets a reboot version". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  15. ^ "Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathilaey trailer launched". Sify. 16 February 2012. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  16. ^ "Friday Fury-July 27". Sify. 27 July 2012. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  17. ^ "Will small films make a mark?". The Times of India. 24 July 2012. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  18. ^ "Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathile". Sify. 30 July 2012. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  19. ^ Suganth, M (27 July 2012). "Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakkathilaey". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  20. ^ Subramanian, Karthik (28 July 2012). "Maalai Pozhuthin Mayakathile". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  21. ^ Mannath, Malini (28 July 2012). "'Maalai Pozhudhin Mayakathile' (Tamil)". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 14 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
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