The song from Jayaraj movie 'Aval' captures a woman's spirit of life

Surabhi Lakshmi
Surabhi Lakshmi in 'Aval' song

'Andande pennoruthee', composed by Kannan C J for Jayaraj's movie 'Aval' is a tribute to the undaunted spirit of a woman who creates a life for herself despite her unique set of challenges. The song, introduces us to Prabha, a hearing and speech impaired domestic help, who is a sunny presence in other people's lives, though she has not known love or care of her own. Playback singer Mathai Sunil, has perfectly captured the protagonist's spirit with his soulful rendition of the lyrics, penned by Muhad Vembayam.

'Aval', according to the director, was conceived by him much before 'Ottal', an adaptation of a Russian short story, that went on to sweep several national and international accolades. “'Aval' is based on my domestic help. Hers was a story I have been wanting to narrate for over 10 years. I was taken aback by her enthusiasm towards life, despite the odds she had to face,” he said during the audio release of the song. The late KPAC Lalitha also plays a significant role in the film.

The director, who has delivered several notable works like 'Sopanam' and 'Desadanam' had initially approached critically-acclaimed actor Nandita Das for the project. “She was very impressed with the script, but had to drop out of the project due to some reason. My next choice was Manju Warrier who was about to make her comeback to Malayalam cinema during that period. Manju, however, expressed her doubts and said she might not be able to rise up to the challenge of playing such a strong character.

“That's when I decided Surabhi Lakshmi would play the role and she readily agreed. She has played her part so beautifully that I could not differentiate the real Surabhi and Prabha,” the director said.

The movie is produced by Manoj Govindan and Shibu Nair under the banner of Golden Wings Productions.

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