Alai Payuthey or Alaipayuthey is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Mani Ratnam. It stars R. Madhavan and Shalini in the lead roles. The film became very popular for its fresh take on love and relationships, as well as its beautiful music by A. R. Rahman. It released on April 14, 2000 coinciding with Tamil New Year and it received positive reviews and became a blockbuster. It was also considered a breakthrough film for R. Madhavan. It was remade in Hindi as Saathiya in 2002, starring Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukerji.
The movie is about the love story of Karthik (played by Madhavan) and Shakthi (played by Shalini). They meet and fall in love with each other, but their families are against their relationship. Despite their families' objections, Karthik and Shakthi get secretly married.
However, after marriage, their relationship goes through many challenges. The movie shows how their love is tested through misunderstandings, arguments, and the struggles of living as a married couple. It focuses on the difference between the excitement of love before marriage and the realities of life after marriage.
The story also shows how important family approval and understanding are for a successful relationship.