Halitha Shameem accuses Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam of taking aesthetical ideas from Aelay

Mammootty's latest film Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam, which opened to high praise and good criticism, recently debuted on Netflix. While the film garnered a wider set of audience on OTT platform, director Halitha Shameem took to social media to post her disappointment with the makers replicating the aesthetics of her film Aelay.

In a Facebook post that now stands deleted, Halitha was quoted by The Times of India report, in writing, “Stealing all the aesthetics from a film isn't acceptable. For the film 'Aeley', we prepared a village for the shoot. It is a pleasure that 'Nanpakal Nerathu Myakkam' was shot in the same village. However, the film's long drawn-out aesthetic, which I've seen and added, is a bit tiresome. The ice cream maker is the milkman here. Just as the old man runs behind the mortuary van, here the mini bus runs behind the old man. Actor-singer 'Chithrai Senan', whom I introduced, here, Mammootty sings along with him, just as he does in 'Aeley'. The houses that have been filmed, the houses that have been seen many times and then refused to be filmed - I saw all these in the film. As the events unfold, there is much more to compare and contrast! Inevitably, I am posting this in an environment where I have to speak for myself. You can dismiss my film 'Aelay', but I'll not be quite if the ideas and aesthetics from it is mercilessly ripped off.”

The filmmaker blamed the makers of the Mammootty-starrer for heavily borrowing elements from Aelay and expressed her disapproval of the same. The makers of the film have not commented on Halitha’s views.

Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam is directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and opened to exceptionally positive response with critics praising the film for Mammooty’s performance. Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam is about James, a middle-aged Malayali family man, who slips into an afternoon nap and wakes up as a different person—Sundaram, a Tamilian.