Mumbai: The promo of the upcoming Tamil film ‘Jailer 2’ has sparked a debate online, with several Keralites expressing displeasure over the pronunciation of Malayalam words in the song ‘Ala Bolelo’.
‘Ala Bolelo’, featuring Rajinikanth and Shamna Kasim, was released on Tuesday evening.
Like ‘Manasilaayo’ from Rajinikanth’s 2024 film Vettaiyan, ‘Ala Bolelo’ also incorporates Malayalam words.
While some fans in Kerala welcomed the song, particularly with Rajinikanth’s film arriving around Onam, others criticised the pronunciation of the Malayalam lyrics.
“Dear Tamils, please don’t include Malayalam in your songs or dialogues unless it’s pronounced correctly. Mispronouncing words, especially the ‘la’ sounds, can be really irritating to Malayalis and may feel disrespectful to our language. This is NOT Malayalam,” wrote one X user.
Dear Tamils,please don’t include Malayalam in your songs or dialogues unless it’s pronounced correctly. Mispronouncing words,especially the “la” sounds, can be really irritating to Malayalis and may feel disrespectful to our language. This is NOT Malayalam 😴#Jailer2 #AlaBolelo pic.twitter.com/hVmm35bama
— Ashwin Krishna E 🦁 (@chiyaanashwin) August 19, 2026
Many viewers were also left wondering whether Anirudh was singing in Malayalam or simply using words that sounded unfamiliar.
“Here, Tamil songs only don’t have correct pronunciation of la, La, Zha, na, Na etc. brother. It has gone to another level that nothing feels like Tamil. So, we are in the same boat,” another user commented.
“Hire a lyric writer and singer who knows Malayalam,” wrote one Malayali viewer.
A Tamil user also agreed with the criticism, writing, “As a Tamil, I completely agree. They should’ve at least hired a Malayali singer. I hate it when someone handles other languages poorly without any effort for authenticity.”
Another X user described the lyrics as “gibberish” rather than Malayalam.
Written and directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, ‘Jailer 2’ is produced by Kalanithi Maran under Sun Pictures.
A sequel to the 2023 blockbuster ‘Jailer’, the upcoming film will see Rajinikanth, Ramya Krishnan, Yogi Babu, Mirnaa and Rithvik reprise their respective roles from the first instalment.
The sequel also features new additions to the cast, including SJ Suryah, Mithun Chakraborty, Vidya Balan, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Anna Rajan and Jatin Sarna.
Mohanlal, Shiva Rajkumar and Jackie Shroff are also set to return, reprising their cameo appearances from the original film.
The film is slated to release on October 15.
