Alien) is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language science fiction action film directed by R. Ravikumar and produced by KJR Studios.

The film stars Sivakarthikeyan and Rakul Preet Singh in the lead roles, alongside Sharad Kelkar, Isha Koppikar, Karunakaran, Yogi Babu, David Broughton-Davies, Bhanupriya and Bala Saravanan, with Siddharth voicing the titular role.

It follows Thamizh who teams up with Tattoo, an alien, to stop Aryan, a rogue scientist, from making a deadly Nova gas, which would endanger the Earth.

The film was predominantly shot in Chennai, and wrapped by early-January 2021 after delays due to financial issues, Sivakarthikeyan's other commitments and the COVID-19 pandemic, while additional photography took place in November 2022.

Ayalaan was released theatrically on 12 January 2024, during the week of Pongal, after having been delayed from Diwali (late 2023) due to unfinished post-production works, and received positive reviews from critics.

At a function, Tamizh meets Tattoo, an alien sent to Earth by his leaders to retrieve Sparc, a mysterious element, before humans misuse it.

[3]: 1:02:55 24AM Studios, the production company founded by R. D. Raja, former manager of Sivakarthikeyan had produced three films starring the latter—Remo (2016), Velaikkaran (2017) and Seemaraja (2018).

On 16 October 2016, the company announced their fourth project with Sivakarthikeyan, that would be directed by R. Ravikumar, in his second directorial after Indru Netru Naalai (2015).

[10][11] The following month, Nirav Shah joined the film as the cinematographer;[12][13] further technicians were announced with editor Leo John Paul, art director T. Muthuraj, stunt choreographer duo Anbariv, costume designer Pallavi Singh being brought on board.

[25] In July 2018, Bollywood actress Isha Koppikar was cast, marking her return to Tamil cinema after Narasimha (2001).

[28] In August 2018, Marathi actor Sharad Kelkar was cast as the main antagonist, making his Tamil debut.

[61][62] Bejoy Arputharaj, the CEO of Phantom FX which handled the film's visual effects and whom served as the supervisor worked with Ravikumar on conceptualising the design for the alien character.

Ravikumar sketched the initial design of the alien for the past seven years, and wanted it to be a prominent figure appearing throughout the film, as well as portray various emotions and reactions.

[63] A puppet resembling the alien was procured from the United States to ensure precision in lighting and details by cinematographer Nirav Shah's team, that costed around ₹2 crores.

[64][33] However, due to the delay in obtaining the model from there, they decided to develop an indigenous puppet resembling the alien by art director Muthuraj, during production.

[68] In an interview with Galatta Plus, Sivakarthikeyan attributed the film's delay due to the incomplete post-production works during the pandemic as visual effects cannot be done with multiple restrictions.

[81] Later the film was delayed indefinitely to allow time for the visual effects and CGI work to be completed,[82] before being scheduled for January 2024.

[83] The film's Telugu dubbed version was released on 26 January, but was removed from theatres a few days later due to "unsettled deals" with the digital intermediate partner.

[88] M. Suganth of The Times of India rated 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "It is the twists that Ravikumar gives to concepts that we have seen in several Hollywood films – superpowers, UFOs, extra-terrestrials, powerful robots, femme fatales, large-scale destruction – that makes Ayalaan an entertainer for all ages.

"[89] Sanjith Sidhardhan of OTTplay rated 3.5/5 and told, "While Ayalaan has a somewhat predictable storyline, the VFX of the film and its fun storytelling aided by appealing characters make this a great festive watch for the families, especially with the children.

"[90] Janani K of India Today gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "'Ayalaan' is a fun film for kids and could appeal to them more because of its simplistic approach.

[92] Kirubhakar Purushothaman of The Indian Express gave 2/5 stars and wrote, "The laughs in this sci-fi comedy are sparse and few, much like the good ideas.

"[95] Vivek M. V. of The Hindu wrote that the film is "light-hearted and has an expressive alien to entertain, but it doesn't push the boundaries enough to offer a gripping sci-fi experience".

[98][99] On 23 January 2024, the sequel was confirmed by KJR Studios and Phantom FX, with Ravikumar and Sivakarthikeyan returning in their positions.