Merku Thodarchi Malai is a film directed by debutant Lenin Bharathi. The film has Antony, Gayathri Krishna and Abu Valayankulam in the lead roles. Popular actor Vijay Sethupathi is the producer of this film under the banner Vijay Sethupathi Productions.
Ilayaraja has scored the music for this film on landless labourers. Talking to Behindwoods about his association with Ilayaraja, director Lenin Bharathi said: "My father and Ilayaraja were classmates. A students council meeting used to take place every month and both of them were a part of it. At times, my father used to sing and Ilayaraja used to dance, and the vice versa also happened.
My dad wanted to become a director. He didn't want to meet Ilayaraja till he became a director. That didn't happen and he passed away. While working on Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai, Ilayaraja and I were casually talking about things and suddenly the topic of my native town popped up. That led to him knowing that I was the son of his classmate. He asked me why I didn't tell him before, for which I replied - "I wanted to meet you after I became a director."
Merku Thodarchi Malai released last week, and it opened to highly positive reviews. It has also won a lot of awards at International Film Festivals.