Muthukumar's Ayali has THIS connection with Pa Ranjith. Read on..

Ayali, which dropped on ZEE5 recently, has become the talk of the town, for its bold take on patriarchy in society. The plot revolves around a teenagaer named Tamizhselvi (played by Abi) who goes on to defy a 500-year-old custom that oppresses the womenfolk of the village and her battle to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor. The series is helmed by director Muthukumar and according to a report, the director has thanked Pa Ranjith for taking on such a bold subject in his work. Ayali is filled with the thoughts of BR Ambedkar and Periyar, but at any scene or backdrop, we have not shown the faces of both the revolutionary leaders. The duo are not just reformers, but they are the lifelines of society. I didn't want to portray myself as a huge revolutionary or changemaker by making Ayali."

He added that Natchathiram Nagargiradhu director Ranjith had a part to play in Ayali. "It was after working on Ranjith's works that I got the confidence to talk about politics in my work. He has laid the foundation for that. Though many have attempted the same earlier, Ranjith has proved that you can be commercially successful too even while talking about issues pertaining to the society. It paved the way for filmmakers like Mari Selvaraj. My inspirations are directors Pa Ranjith, Mari Selvaraj and Thyagarajan Kumararaja.

Ayali has Abi Nakshatra playing the lead, along with Linga, Anumol, Singampuli, Lovelyn Chandrasekhar, Pragadeeshwaran to name a few. Lakshmipriya, Smruthi Venkat and Bagavathi Perumal have made special appearances in it. Ayali is named after a goddess that the entire village worships in the show. Ayali has music by Revaa, cinematography by Ramji and editing by Ganesh Siva. The eight-episode show dropped on ZEE5 on the occasion of Republic Day and opened to positive reviews.