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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| image = Alai (film).jpg
| caption = DVD cover
| director = [[Vikram Kumar]]
| writer = Vikram Kumar
| producer = G. V. Prasad
| starring = {{ubl|[[Silambarasan]]|[[Trisha Krishnan|Trisha]]}}
| cinematography = S. Murthy
| editing = [[A. Sreekar Prasad]]
| music = [[Vidyasagar (composer)|Vidyasagar]]
| studio = Damini Enterprise
| released = {{Film date|2003|09|10|df=y}}
| runtime = 158 minutes
| country = India
| language = Tamil
}}

'''''Alai''''' ({{Translation|''Wave''}}) is a 2003 Indian [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language [[romantic comedy]] film directed by [[Vikram Kumar]]. The film stars [[Silambarasan]] and [[Trisha (actress)|Trisha]], while [[Raghuvaran]], [[Saranya Ponvannan|Saranya]], and [[Vivek (actor)|Vivek]] played supporting roles. The film was produced by G. V. Prasad and the score and soundtrack were composed by [[Vidyasagar (composer)|Vidyasagar]]. ''Alai'' was released on 10 September 2003,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alai /அலை |url=https://screen4screen.com/movies/alai |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240207113802/https://screen4screen.com/movies/alai |archive-date=7 February 2024 |access-date=7 February 2024 |website=Screen 4 Screen}}</ref> and became a box office failure.

== Plot ==
{{more plot |date=August 2020}}
Aathi and Meera are college students who first meet in a bar and fight for a silly reason. Aathi with his friends go to his friend's village and there he sees Meera who is also there with her friends. The groups went to a village festival where Aathi falls for Meera after seeing her in a traditional attire. There some goons harass Meera with reflecting light on Meera who is wearing a sari. Aathi saw this and beats up the goons. Meera immediately falls for Aathi. Aathi learns that his friend who is getting married in 3 days was actually in love with someone else and that his marriage was his father’s alliance with a wealthy family to pay off his debt through dowry. Meera discovers that her best friend is in love with a guy. On that night Meera’s friend brought her to the guy's house where Meera mistaken Aathi as Her friends’ lover and Aathi mistaken Meera as his best friend Lover. This was all cleared the next day when they introduce Meera and Aathi as their best friend which enlighten both of them. They planned to elope and registered their marriage which Aathi and Meera helped. Then Aathi and Meera return to their houses where they realise they love each other. And much to their surprise their houses are beside each other. Then Aathi tries to tell Meera about his love, but she doesn't care. And it is shown that Meera also loves him and then there comes a song called En Ragasiya Kanavugal. And then Aathi goes to Meera's house and sees her talking to her friend about him. Then again, a song comes where again Aathi and Meera just romance each other. And then Aathi's father arranges him marriage with a businessman's daughter because of his debt. And then Aathi and Meera separate, and Aathi tries to calm Meera who is crying which is heard by his to be fiancé and she says that she is not interested in this marriage. After that, Aathi ties the [[Thaali|nuptial thread]] around Meera's neck on the wedding stage with everyone's blessings and Meera happily accepts it.

== Cast ==
{{cast listing|
*[[Silambarasan]] as Aathikesavan “Aathi”
*[[Trisha (actress)|Trisha]] as Meera
*[[Vivek (actor)|Vivek]] as Aathi's friend
*[[Raghuvaran]] as Natarajan, Aathi's father
*[[Saranya Ponvannan|Saranya]] as Nirmala (Aathi's mother)
*[[Kuralarasan]] as Gopi, Aathi's brother
*[[Nizhalgal Ravi]] as Meera's father
*Bharathi as Meera's mother
*[[Nassar (actor)|Nassar]]
*[[Srinath (Tamil actor)|Srinath]] as Aathi's friend
*[[Lavanya (actress)|Lavanya]] as Anu
*[[Cool Suresh]] as Aathi's friend
*[[Kim Sharma]] in a special appearance in the song "Paiyya Paiyya"
*[[Raju Sundaram]] in a special appearance in the song "Alai Adikuthu"
*[[K. Sivasankar]] in a special appearance as a dance master
*[[Shobi (choreographer)|Shobi]] in a special appearance in the song "Alai Adikuthu"
}}

== Production ==
Prior to release, the film made headlines when Silambarasan revealed that he was to undergo an image makeover for the film and move away from his "mass" image after appearing in such roles in ''[[Kadhal Azhivathillai]]'' and ''[[Dum (2003 Tamil film)|Dum]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pillai |first=Sreedhar |date=2 June 2003 |title=Brand equity |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/06/02/stories/2003060200310202.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030730000356/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/06/02/stories/2003060200310202.htm |archive-date=30 July 2003 |access-date=10 April 2012 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> Two songs were shot in Switzerland.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=20 July 2003 |title=சினிமா பித்தானேன்! |url=https://archive.org/details/kalki2003-07-20/page/56/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240207110631/https://archive.org/details/kalki2003-07-20/page/56/mode/2up |archive-date=7 February 2024 |access-date=7 February 2024 |magazine=[[Kalki (magazine)|Kalki]] |pages=56–57 |language=ta |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

== Soundtrack ==
There are six songs composed by [[Vidyasagar (composer)|Vidyasagar]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alai (2003) |url=http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/movie/T0000530.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528083815/http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/movie/T0000530.html |archive-date=28 May 2009 |access-date=20 December 2011 |website=[[Raaga.com]]}}</ref> Soundtrack received a positive review from Sajahan Waheed of ''[[New Straits Times]]'' saying Vidyasagar "is surely at his best in this six-song soundtrack [..]".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Waheed |first=Sajahan |date=16 October 2003 |title=Vintage Vidyasagar |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WkEhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3HsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3164%2C3824394 |access-date=2 February 2024 |website=[[New Straits Times]] |pages=Entertainment 3 |via=[[Google News Archive]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> "Solakattu Bommai" is loosely inspired from Vidyasagar's Malayalam song "Chinga Masam" in ''[[Meesa Madhavan]]''.{{cn|date=February 2024}}

{| class="wikitable" style="width:30%;"
|-
! Song title !! Singers !! Lyrics
|-
| "Alai Adikuthu" || [[Shankar Mahadevan]] || [[Kabilan (lyricist)|Kabilan]]
|-
| "En Ragasiya Kanavukal" || [[Karthik (singer)|Karthik]], Srivarthini || [[Thamarai]]
|-
| "Nee Oru Desam" || [[Sujatha Mohan]], [[KK (singer)|KK]] || [[Yugabharathi]]
|-
| "Paiya Paiya" || Mathangi, [[Tippu (singer)|Tippu]] || [[Arivumathi]]
|-
| "Solakattu Bommai" || [[Devan Ekambaram|Devan]], [[Pop Shalini]] || [[Pa. Vijay]]
|-
| "Thinga Kizhamaiyaana" || Timmy, [[Karthik (singer)|Karthik]] || Pa. Vijay
|}

== Reception ==
''[[Sify]]'' wrote, "There is no redeeming factor as even the music of Vidyasagar is not placed well and stands out most of the time". The reviewer criticised Silambarasan for imitating [[Rajinikanth]] in many scenes and felt Trisha was wasted, but appreciated Vivek's comedy, concluding, "All in all ''Alai'' is an insufferable dud".<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 September 2003 |title=Alai |url=http://www.sify.com/movies/alai-review-tamil-pclvrJjdfgbid.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308031114/http://www.sify.com/movies/alai-review-tamil-pclvrJjdfgbid.html |archive-date=8 March 2017 |access-date=7 February 2024 |website=[[Sify]]}}</ref> Mokkarasu of ''[[Kalki (magazine)|Kalki]]'' called Vivek's comedy the only relief and felt the old plot did not have any newness in presentation and the dramatic climax without any major twists reminds of 1960s films. He concluded saying director's formula of four songs, four fights, little bit of comedy is outdated and advised him to better concentrate on script hereafter.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=மொக்கராசு |date=12 October 2003 |title=அலை |url=https://archive.org/details/kalki2003-10-12/page/54/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240201160128/https://archive.org/details/kalki2003-10-12/page/54/mode/2up |archive-date=1 February 2024 |access-date=1 February 2024 |magazine=[[Kalki (magazine)|Kalki]] |page=55 |language=ta |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> S. R. Ashok Kumar from ''[[The Hindu]]'' noted that "the youthful exploits of Silambarasan, the glamour of Trisha and the winsome music of Vidyasagar fail to do the trick, for the simple reason that the film lacks a taut screenplay with well-knit episodes".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kumar |first=S. R. Ashok |date=26 September 2003 |title=Alai |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/09/26/stories/2003092601340202.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031205215224/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/09/26/stories/2003092601340202.htm |archive-date=5 December 2003 |access-date=10 April 2012 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> ''Indiainfo'' wrote "Debutant director Vikram perhaps thought the film would be sure hit if makes a film like Rajini's but he failed miserably there. A very boring film".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.indiainfo.com/tamil/reviews/index.html|title=ALAI: A big bore from start to finish|website=India Info|access-date=28 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031008215113/http://movies.indiainfo.com/tamil/reviews/index.html|archive-date=8 October 2003}}</ref>

The film became a box office failure.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jeshi |first=K. |date=9 December 2004 |title=Manmadhan comes calling |url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/12/09/stories/2004120900820200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050104030544/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/12/09/stories/2004120900820200.htm |archive-date=4 January 2005 |access-date=10 April 2012 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> Silambarasan and Trisha did not pair again until ''[[Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa]]'' (2010) by [[Gautham Vasudev Menon]], which became a commercial success.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rangarajan |first=Malathi |date=4 March 2010 |title=Taste of candyfloss |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/Taste-of-candyfloss/article16483589.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204112743/https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/Taste-of-candyfloss/article16483589.ece |archive-date=4 February 2024 |access-date=4 February 2024 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{IMDb title}}
*{{Rotten Tomatoes}}

{{Vikram Kumar}}

[[Category:2003 Indian films]]
[[Category:2003 Tamil-language films]]
[[Category:2003 films]]
[[Category:2003 romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Vikram Kumar]]
[[Category:Films scored by Vidyasagar (composer)]]
[[Category:Films shot in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Indian romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:Tamil-language Indian films]]
[[Category:Tamil-language romantic comedy films]]

Alai film - Revision history

Andreasyrt at 04:38, 3 March 2026