Halitha Shameem, who made her directorial debut with Poovarasam Peepee in 2014, shot to fame with the critically acclaimed film Sillu Karupatti in 2019. The director is now ready with her next film, titled Aelay. The film’s trailer was released online on Wednesday and has garnered much positive attention. Hyped to be a neo-realistic comedy-drama, Aelay is set against a rural backdrop.
On the launch of the trailer, actor Vijay Sethupathi had tweed, "Dir @halithashameem #Aelay #ஏலே Trailer is so heartwarming. எனக்கு மிகவும் பிடித்த @PushkarGayatri யின் முதல் தயாரிப்பு. மனமார்ந்த வாழ்த்துக்கள். #AelayFromFeb12 #AdaavadiAppa @thondankani @sash041075 @StudiosYNot @wallwatcherfilm @chakdyn @RelianceEnt”
Dir @halithashameem #Aelay #ஏலே Trailer is so heartwarming.
— VijaySethupathi (@VijaySethuOffl) January 26, 2021
எனக்கு மிகவும் பிடித்த @PushkarGayatri யின் முதல் தயாரிப்பு.
மனமார்ந்த வாழ்த்துக்கள்.#AelayFromFeb12 #AdaavadiAppa@thondankani @sash041075 @StudiosYNot @wallwatcherfilm @chakdyn @RelianceEnt https://t.co/kVp8fWoAGg
Aelay is purportedly based on the story of a father-son relationship, played by Samuthirakani and Manikandan K. The other actors in the cast are non-professionals, who are residents of the Manjunayakanpatti village in Tamil Nadu’s Dindugal district. The entire film has been shot in the village in a single schedule, we hear. Aelay, which was slated for release in August last year, will now reportedly be released on February 12.
Watch the trailer of Aelay here:
On Samuthirakani’s role as a father in Aelay, director Halitha said in a media interaction that his character demanded the portrayal of a spectrum of emotions. The director revealed that he plays a single parent who works as an ice-cream vendor. The technical crew of this film includes Theni Easwar for cinematography and the music is been by composed by Kaber Vasuki and Arul Dev. Aelay is bankrolled jointly by Y Not Studios, Reliance Entertainment and Pushkar Gayatri's Wall Watcher Films.
Halitha Shameem’s last outing Sillu Karupatti was critically acclaimed at festivals like the Bengaluru International Film Festival and Toronto Tamil International Film Festival. The film was also a commercial success. The film starred Samuthirakani, Sunainaa, Manikandan K, Nivedhithaa Sathish, Krav Maga Sreeram, Leela Samson, Sara Arjun, and Rahul in the lead roles.
Sillu Karupatti was produced by Venkatesh Velineni under the banner Divine Productions and was distributed by Suriya’s 2D Entertainments. Halitha Shameem had won the JFW Woman Director of the Year 2020 award for directing Sillu Karupatti.
Halitha made her directorial debut with Poovarasam Peepee, released in 2014. It was a children's adventure film written and directed by her, with acclaimed cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa producing and working the camera. The film was about the summer vacation adventures of three boys, played by Gaurav Kalai, Pravin Kishore and Vasanth. Arul Dev had composed music for Poovarasam Peepee, while Halitha did the edits.
(Content provided by Digital Native)