Aval Peyar Thamizharasi

Aval Peyar Thamizharasi is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Meera Kathiravan. The film stars Jai, Manochitra (credited as Nandhagi), Dhiyana, S. Theodore Baskaran and Ganja Karuppu in lead roles. The music was composed by Vijay Antony with cinematography by P. G. Muthiah and editing by Raja Mohammad. The film was released on 5 March 2010 and failed commercially.

Plot
Siva Rao is a Thol Pavai puppeteer who, along with his family, travels between villages, performing to make ends meet. Their fortunes change when they arrive in Tirunelveli, where a wealthy man named Chelladurai decides to support them because his young grandson Jyothi is fond of their art. Thamizharasi, Siva Rao's granddaughter, attends a local school and excels academically, eventually gaining admission to an engineering college in Pune.

During this time, Jyothi and Thamizharasi develop a close bond. However, tragedy strikes when Jyothi rapes Thamizharasi, altering her life forever. In response, Jyothi is sent away from the village by his grandfather to live with his father. Years later, Jyothi returns, seeking forgiveness and searching for Thamizharasi, who has disappeared. The story follows Jyothi's journey as he attempts to reconcile with Thamizharasi and atone for his past actions.

Production
The director Meera Kathiravan asked the lead actress to avoid interviews and be away from the film's promotions to maintain the suspense of her identity till the audio launch. She was credited as Nandhagi.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by Vijay Antony.

Reception
Hindustan Times wrote "Kathiravan’s effort must be lauded because he is still one of the few helmers in cinema bold enough to take his camera to the countryside and capture the dying wails of India’s glorious heritage". Behindwoods wrote "The poetically shot APT unfolds leisurely, at the pace of a slow moving train and you often tend to feel like an unaccompanied passenger in a mid-afternoon train". Sify wrote "Well-intentioned in his attempts to make good cinema, Meera Kathiravan and producers Moserbaer and Blue Ocean deserve a pat on their backs for crafting a movie that will stay in your hearts . It is a welcome change from the usual mass masalas and need to be seen in that perceptive".