Ayothi follows the story of a family who does travel from Ayodhya to Rameswaram for a spiritual trip until tragedy strikes. What happens next? The story here is heartwarming and an emotional tear-jerker to the core. I can’t remember the last time that I was crying right throughout the film. The screenplay here standing at a shade under 2 hours does make for an emotionally compelling watch in this rather layered drama.

The drama does open with the introduction of the family featuring a grumpy and a misogynist father who doesn’t treat his wife and children with any kind of affection. The children are particularly closer to their mother who is really affectionate and heartwarming. One day, the spiritual trip is planned by the father and on their way, the conflict in the drama is introduced through a tragedy. A thing to note is that this drama combines two drastically different cultures here with the point of discussion being the language. So the language barrier here is very well addressed. At the same time, the writers do put out a message that despite the language barrier, it is humanity that is the common thread amongst all and that even unknown strangers can act as angels in our lives.

The proceedings are engaging and very emotional. One thing that the drama was spot on with was the emotional quotient here. The writing did enough to generate a lot of emotions which kind of left you hollow from within. The events revolving around death and the procedures that follow are very well showcased in the drama. And to add to it, there is a sense of urgency that is introduced by adding a time factor thereby keeping the drama time bound. And the events are grounded and seem just so believable that I found myself weeping inconsolably while watching the drama. Just the sheer sense of emotions here following the tragedy is enough to touch your heart and how!

I did have a couple of issues but very minor ones in the screenplay. The opening introduction act of the protagonist getting into a brawl was done to make you form opinions about him early on. But it did feel misplaced to an extent. Even the police station sequence with a convict breaking into a dance does come at a point when the emotions are high and so that sequence does add as a roadblock to an extent. But to compensate for that, the drama does touch upon a few concepts of belief along with several logistical issues that one has to undergo regarding death. It may have been slightly oversimplified and rushed but the emotions land perfectly.

The final act too may seem slightly far fetched but it was just beautifully staged that almost did coax me into shedding a tear. And that little reveal at the end added a new layer to the drama in a very good way. The final messaging at the end of humanity helping humanity irreslective of caste, creed or religion in times of need was such a relevant message in today’s times. Overall, the screenplay is beautifully penned and as a result you are witness to one of the most emotional dramas of recent times.