When Sun Pictures unveiled the ‘Ala Bolelo' song from their upcoming Rajinikanth starrer Jailer 2, it drew some criticism from the Malayali audience. The critics came down hard at the makers of the film, especially composer Anirudh, for how the track mispronounces Malayalam and for the inclusion of nonsensical words pretending to be Kerala's language. They often criticise when commercial films beyond Kerala use elements of the state’s culture and heritage merely as a superficial marketing ploy, without ensuring linguistic authenticity. In this context, the criticism for the Jailer 2 song has been similar, although a lot more intense, to what the ‘Manasilaayo’ track from the 2024 Rajinikanth starrer Vettaiyan received from the Kerala audience.
Recently, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Mirnaa, two of the many Malayali presence in the Jailer 2 cast, made fun of Anirudh for the song.
When director Nelson asked whether the song has Malayalam lyrics, Suraj quipped, “‘Ala Bolelo, Pitha Bolelo…’ what Malayalam is this even?” Soon, Mirnaa joined Suraj in the criticism, saying, “We have searched everywhere in the dictionary but have not found such Malayalam anywhere.”
While the broader criticism may be a bit intense against the makers of the Jailer sequel for the song, Suraj and Mirnaa have been milder and more humorous in putting their views forward to Anirudh. Their criticism drew big laughs from co-star SJ Suryah, Anirudh and Nelson. Anirudh took the criticism in his stride. Meanwhile, Nelson bailed himself out of the discourse by saying that he only asked for a Malayalam-sounding song and did not know whether ‘Ala Bolelo’ fit the requirement.
The presence of the percussion instrument Chenda in the song is the factor that caused a greater connection to Kerala and Malayalam. Jailer 2 is set for an October 15 release in theatres, including IMAX screens.
