Ayali Is A Relatable Tale Of Teen Fighting Menstrual Taboos And Patriarchy

Ayali is the first Tamil series to handle the most tabooed subject menstruation. Many households, regardless of how modern they claim to be, practise some kind of menstrual segregation. Even educated and financially independent women are deemed impure and forced to use separate utensils, sleep on the floor, stay in a particular room, and more during their periods.

The series is set in the 1990s in Tamilnadu's Veerapannai village. Ayali tells the story of how patriarchy is maintained through superstitious practises in the name of religious beliefs. As legend has it, a young girl eloped with a man from a neighbouring village 500 years ago, causing the villagers to suffer from the wrath of their deity, Ayali. Since then, all girls who reached puberty were married off and barred from entering the temple as penance.

The eight-episode &t=37s">series begins with an animated intro sequence that symbolises how women in the Veerapannai village are stripped of all their freedom and rights after attaining puberty.

Ayali Series Review

The protagonist of the series, Tamizh (Abi Natchathra), a ninth-grader who aspires to become a doctor, wants to complete her 10^th standard. She is bold, determined, and confident by nature. She questions the gender inequality, superstitious beliefs, and patriarchal practises in the village. One by one, her peers drop out of school after reaching puberty and are married off, only to suffer. Seeing the lives of her friends descend into hell, fear grips Tamizh.

The dreadful day comes, and Tamizh reaches puberty. Now what does the small-town girl with big dreams do? She decides not to succumb to the village’s superstitious practises and hides the fact that she has attained puberty from literally everyone. Later, when her mother discovers the truth, Tamizh convinces her to support her. With an entire village against Tamizh and a huge secret to hide, will Tamizh be able to fulfil her dreams?

Tamizh is ambitious, determined, and remains undeterred even when the tides are against her. Her character is well-written with a lot of layers. The child inside her is shocked and confused at how the people she has known her entire life change once a girl attains puberty. She is taken aback when something as natural as menstruation brings about such a drastic change in women’s lives. Despite the internalised superstitions inside her, she is unafraid to raise questions and take risks to pursue her dreams. She uses her presence of mind and intelligence to bring about change.

The minute society knows that a woman has attained puberty, everybody except her has a say in her life. Why do women lose autonomy over their lives after reaching puberty? Why are so many irrational restrictions imposed on women for a natural change in their bodies? Why is the honour of a family and caste placed in everything that happens between a woman’s legs? Why are women punished for natural hormonals changes? Why women's ambitions are traded for marriage? Are women just childbearing machines and caretakers? Don't they have dreams of their own? When is society going to let women decide for themselves? These are some of the thought-provoking questions that Ayali leaves the audience with.

All the actors, including Abi Natchathra as Tamizh, Anumol as her mother, her father, friends, and the village leaders as antagonists, have given life to their characters. In addition to exploring the taboos and superstitions surrounding menstruation and the lack of access to education for girls, Ayali also explores how patriarchy is ingrained in most families. This includes women being told to adjust and compromise to power dynamics between husband and wife, parents struggling between their love for their children and societal pressures, and more.

Although the plot is predictable, the authentic performances of the actors carry the series. The only drawback of Ayali is that the climax seems a bit rushed and the changes in characters happen literally overnight. However, in a society where women still have to smuggle pads into their own homes and period talk is still frowned upon in many families, director Muthukumar should be commended for choosing this subject as the premise. It has atleast initiated a conversation and challenged the beliefs of a rigid society that uses women as scapegoats to run the patriarchy.

Ayali isn't just for rural societies and male chauvinists, as the questions it raises remain relevant today despite progressions. Whenever Tamizh or one of the female characters asks a valid question, we want to clap, whistle, and cheer because it’s relatable. And that makes Ayali a must watch!

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