Ayalaan Movie Review

The Sivakarthikeyan starrer Ayalaan has finally hit the big screens after years of turmoil and hard work. Director R Ravikumar began shooting the film nearly 6 years ago and has faced countless struggles, from budgeting issues, and production obstacles to VFX constraints. But the film is finally out today, and it marks the birth of a new attempt in Tamil cinema. Have all the efforts throughout the years paid off? Let’s find out.

Plot of Ayalaan:

Tamizh, played by Sivakarthikeyan is an animal lover. He believes that all living beings are equal, irrespective of their ability to speak. At the same time, an alien comes to Earth in search of an extra-terrestrial object, which is currently in the wrong hands. How the alien encounters Tamizh, and how the two unite to stop the villains from destroying the Earth forms the story of Ayalaan.

What works in Ayalaan:

Although Ayalaan does have its fair share of flaws, it gets the important things right. For a movie that is heavily dependent on VFX and CGI, it does not have any glaring flaws. Yes, there are minute issues in one or two frames, but the remaining portions are error-free. Like for example, the alien fits in very well within the world of the film. Even the spaceship and the villain’s ultra-advanced lair are well rendered. Of course, it would be unrealistic to expect Hollywood-level standards from a relatively low-budget Tamil movie, so keep your expectations in check while watching the film.

Another important aspect that Ayaalan gets right is, it has its heart in the right place. The emotions and the drama work well within the story. Especially the emotional track between Tamizh and the alien strikes a chord with you. Ayalaan makes you root for the two central characters, even making you a tad bit emotional at the end. It also helps that actor Siddharth has dubbed for the alien as there is a certain familiarity and innocence in Siddharth’s voice that makes you connect with the character.

Even the comedy in the film fits in pretty organically, thanks to Yogi Babu’s eternal comedy timing. Give the man any scene and he can make you laugh. Even Karunakaran manages to generate a few laughs.

What does not work in Ayaalan:

If Ayaalan was released a few years ago, as it ideally should have been, maybe this would not have been such a big issue but unfortunately, the outdated screenplay sticks out like a sore thumb. The songs are placed very randomly, disturbing the natural flow of proceedings and some portions, especially a few dialogues feel very outdated.

The film also starts off in a very odd fashion, with characters behaving very oddly and the only real VFX issues are also present in these portions. Although the film manages to steer to safety pretty quickly after that, it does end up losing steam after a point. 

The ideas are still impressive on paper, but the execution falters majorly, especially in the second half. It feels as if the second half is getting dragged on for way too long and the scenes start to feel very repetitive.

There is also a love track between Sivakarthikeyan and Rakul Preet Singh in the movie which does move the plot forward in a way, but the lackluster writing in these portions, makes us feel disconnected with their pairing. There was more love between Siva Karthikeyan and the alien. 

Ayalaan offers interesting potential with the presence of essentially two heroes, one is Tamizh and the other is the alien. So, a strong villain would have amped up the drama to a large extent but this is where Ayalaan majorly falters. Neither does Dev, played by an efficient Sharad Kelkar, feel menacing nor does he have a strong back story. His character feels one note and does not generate enough intrigue.

Performances in Ayaalan:

It is hard to critique the performances in Ayaalan because Sivakarthikeyan and the alien carry out the major exploits in the film. The rest of the supporting cast are there for a few laughs and that’s about it. 

Sivakarthikeyan puts in a good shift as Tamizh. This blend of comedy and action is nothing new for the actor and he pulls it off with relative ease. Rakul Preet Singh doesn't get to flex her acting muscles much and Sharad Kelkar does a decent job of playing a generic villain character. 

Verdict of Ayaalan:

Ayaalan is an admirable project from R Ravikumar. His vision is colossal but unfortunately, his ideas falter from outdated bumps in the screenplay. However, Ayaalan is definitely not a film to be dismissed completely. It gets its emotions and drama right and ultimately makes us root for the alien, and for that at least, Ayaalan is a success. As an adult, it might not make for an extremely enjoyable performance but children are sure to love the heck out of it.