''Ayali'' is a 2023 Indian
Tamil-language
Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of Pudu ...
streaming television
Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air ae ...
series written and directed by Muthukumar for
ZEE5
ZEE5 is an Indian subscription video on-demand and over-the-top streaming service, run by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. The ZEE5 mobile app is available on Web, Andr ...
which focuses on the patriarchal aspects of Tamil society and Indian society in general. The principal characters of the series include Abi Nakshatra,
Anumol
Anumol is an Indian actress, predominantly acting in Malayalam and Tamil films. She appeared in Malayalam movies such as '' Chayilyam'' (2014), ''Ivan Megharoopan'' (2012), '' Akam'' (2011), '' Vedivazhipadu'' (2013) and '' Jamna Pyari'' (2015 ...
, Madhan,
Linga
A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional ...
and
Singampuli
Singampuli is an Indian actor and director. After making '' Red'' (2002) and '' Maayavi'' (2005), he has made a career appearing in supporting roles in films.
Career
Singampuli was born and brought up in Theni, Periyakulam and after studying e ...
. The eight episodic series premiered on
ZEE5
ZEE5 is an Indian subscription video on-demand and over-the-top streaming service, run by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. The ZEE5 mobile app is available on Web, Andr ...
on 26 January 2023.
Synopsis
The story revolves around the life of a young teenage girl (Tamizhselvi) who defies the horrible 500-year-old customs and traditions that oppress the women of Veerappannai village in
Pudukkottai
Pudukkottai is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a large city located on the banks of the Vellar River. It has been ruled, at different times, by the mutharaiyar dynasty , Cholas, ...
towards her dream of becoming a doctor.
Cast
* Abi Nakshathra as Tamizhselvi
*
Anumol
Anumol is an Indian actress, predominantly acting in Malayalam and Tamil films. She appeared in Malayalam movies such as '' Chayilyam'' (2014), ''Ivan Megharoopan'' (2012), '' Akam'' (2011), '' Vedivazhipadu'' (2013) and '' Jamna Pyari'' (2015 ...
as Kuruvammal
* Madhankumar Dhakshinamoorthy as Thavasi
*
Linga
A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional ...
as Sakthivel
*
Singampuli
Singampuli is an Indian actor and director. After making '' Red'' (2002) and '' Maayavi'' (2005), he has made a career appearing in supporting roles in films.
Career
Singampuli was born and brought up in Theni, Periyakulam and after studying e ...
as Thiruppathi
* TSR -Dharmaraj
* Lovelyn Chandrasekar as Mythili
* Gayathri Thara as Kayalvizhi
* Pragadheeswaran as a vocally impaired villager
* Jenson
* Rajamani Melodi
* Goutham
* Reshmi
* Muthupandi
*Sunthar
Guest appearance
*
Lakshmi Priya
Lakshmi Priya (born Sabeena Abdul Latheef; 11 March 1985) is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films. She participated in Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 4.
Early life
She was born on 11 March 1985 to Kabir, who was from Haripad, and Ram ...
as Inspector
*
Smruthi Venkat
Smruthi Venkat is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Tamil language films. She made her acting debut with 2019 commercially success film ''Thadam''.
Career
Smruthi made her career in a uncredited role in the film ''Indru Netru Naa ...
as English Teacher
*
Bagavathi Perumal
Bagavathi Perumal, popularly known as Bucks, is an Indian actor, who has worked in Tamil films. Perumal debuted in Balaji Tharaneetharan's critically acclaimed ''Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom'' (2012). Bagavathi has since appeared in pivotal ...
as M.L.A
* Kodangi Vadivelu
Development
Production
The series is produced by Kushmavathi under the production house of Estrella Stories, with music composed by Revaa and screenplay and dialogues by Veenai Maindhan, Sachin, and Muthu Kumar. Muthukumar marked his web series debut with this series.
Casting
Abi Nakshatra was cast in the female lead role as Tamizhselvi. Malayalam film Actress
Anumol
Anumol is an Indian actress, predominantly acting in Malayalam and Tamil films. She appeared in Malayalam movies such as '' Chayilyam'' (2014), ''Ivan Megharoopan'' (2012), '' Akam'' (2011), '' Vedivazhipadu'' (2013) and '' Jamna Pyari'' (2015 ...
was cast as a Tamizhselvi's mother. Madhan,
Linga
A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional ...
and
Singampuli
Singampuli is an Indian actor and director. After making '' Red'' (2002) and '' Maayavi'' (2005), he has made a career appearing in supporting roles in films.
Career
Singampuli was born and brought up in Theni, Periyakulam and after studying e ...
were also selected for supporting roles.
Bagavathi Perumal
Bagavathi Perumal, popularly known as Bucks, is an Indian actor, who has worked in Tamil films. Perumal debuted in Balaji Tharaneetharan's critically acclaimed ''Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom'' (2012). Bagavathi has since appeared in pivotal ...
,
Lakshmi Priya
Lakshmi Priya (born Sabeena Abdul Latheef; 11 March 1985) is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films. She participated in Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 4.
Early life
She was born on 11 March 1985 to Kabir, who was from Haripad, and Ram ...
and
Smruthi Venkat
Smruthi Venkat is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Tamil language films. She made her acting debut with 2019 commercially success film ''Thadam''.
Career
Smruthi made her career in a uncredited role in the film ''Indru Netru Naa ...
also appear as guest stars.
Release
It was announced on Wednesday 26 January 2023 that the series will be released in Tamil and
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
languages on ZEE5.
Episodes
Season 1
Reception
Critical response
Anusha Sundar of
The New Indian Express
''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...
wrote "Ayali lacks a consistent storytelling. Ayali’s antagonists are over-the-top caricatures. They stick to all the usual tropes of a villain just to reiterate the core message. This repetitive pattern only creates a sense of detachment and a bitter aftertaste. A little subtleness could have gone a long way to tell this tale that every other woman can relate to."
R. Srinivasan of
''Cinema Vikatan'' wrote "Ramji's cinematography captures the warmth of the village and the nature of its people without diminishing realism. Starting with the title sequence,
Revaa
Revaa is one of the countable female music directors in Tamil cinema. Her Tamil film debut was '' Mughizh'' starring Vijay Sethupathi. Revaa gained popularity with her noticeable work in ''Ayali
''Ayali'' is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language strea ...
's music helps convey the impact of several serious scenes. Editor Ganesh Siva has compiled the eight episodes perfectly without losing interest."
Mankandan Sakthivel of ''Behind Talkies'' said "All in all “Aayali” is an amazing OTT series that should be watched by people of all ages."
Janani K at ''
India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new on ...
'' rated the series 3.5/5, stating "Director Muthukumar’s Ayali, starring Abi Nakshathra, Anumol and Aruvi Madhan, is a bold show that questions patriarchy and holds a mirror to society. The show is a must-watch, says our review."
Bharathy Singaravel of ''
The News Minute
''The News Minute'' is an Indian digital news platform based in Bangalore, Karnataka. It was founded by Dhanya Rajendran, Chitra Subramaniam and Vignesh Vellore in 2014. Apart from Karnataka, it also has bureaus in the states of Telangana, An ...
'' gave 4 stars out of 5 and wrote "''Ayali'', despite a few flaws, is receiving the praise it well deserves. It gives hope that the Tamil web series genre will choose nuanced storytelling over trying to stretch out cinematic mass moments for its actors."
Bhuvanesh Chandar of ''
The Hindu'' wrote "the series raises its voice against the socio-religious factors that are used by men to oppress women, but you wish the series used the long format to maximise its potential and with a better screenplay."
References
External links
*
Ayali' at
ZEE5
ZEE5 is an Indian subscription video on-demand and over-the-top streaming service, run by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. The ZEE5 mobile app is available on Web, Andr ...
*{{IMDb title, id=25966494
Tamil-language web series
2023 Tamil-language television series debuts
ZEE5 original programming
Tamil-language thriller television series
Tamil-language melodrama television series