Alaipayuthey (2000) on Netflix

NR20002h 36mDrama Musical Romance

Karthik, who runs a tech startup, meets Shakthi, a medical student, at a wedding. Chance meetings on commuter trains follow, and after their families clash over class, they marry in secret.

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Netflix4.2/5
IMDb8.3/109,098 votes
Rotten TomatoesNot available

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Plot summary

Karthik Varadarajan, a software engineering graduate from a well-off family, runs a tech startup alongside his friends. Shakthi Selvaraj studies medicine, comes from a traditional middle-class home, and holds to her ideals. They meet at a wedding, then keep meeting on the commuter trains they both ride each day. Karthik pursues her and proposes; Shakthi hesitates, pointing to the gap in their backgrounds, but her feelings grow. Karthik talks his parents into approaching her family formally. At that meeting the two sets of parents quarrel bitterly over class, and a shattered Shakthi breaks it off and leaves for a medical camp in Kerala. The pair reunite and marry in secret, without their parents' consent.

Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Alaipayuthey (2000)

Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.

Mani Ratnam had R. Madhavan audition for a role in Iruvar but turned him down, saying his eyes were "too young". In 1999 Ratnam rang him suddenly: "Come down and we will do a photo session. I am starting a film with you."
The crew of Alai Payuthey shot in Srinagar for 25 days, becoming the last production team to film in the area until 2003 because of the Kashmir conflict.
A. R. Rahman was signed only to compose the background score, because Mani Ratnam's film was first planned as songless; after a change of heart, nine songs were recorded.
Every song on the soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics by Vairamuthu except the title number "Alai Payuthey", an 18th-century piece by Carnatic composer Oothukkadu Venkata Kavi, who set it to the raagam Kanada.
Mani Ratnam wanted a debutant in the female lead and carried out a screen test with Vasundhara Das, but ended up signing Shalini for the role in April 1999.
Vikram, before Sethu (1999) made him a star, was approached by Mani Ratnam to play the fiancé of Swarnamalya's character but turned the offer down.
Alai Payuthey was dubbed in Telugu as Sakhi and remade in Hindi by Shaad Ali as Saathiya (2002); it was the first time Mani Ratnam sold remake rights for another language, having previously dubbed and released his films himself.
Songs from Alai Payuthey inspired the titles of six later films: Snegithiye (2000), Kadhal Sadugudu (2003), Evano Oruvan (2007), Pachai Nirame (2008), Ragasiya Snehithane (2008) and Endrendrum Punnagai (2013).