from wiki, i am very surprised that kalki considered alai osai his best work.
i found it a drag, moving aimlessly, without a central goal or figure or theme. and too many coincidences to happen in large cities of today.
compared to that ponniyin selvan is 1000 times better in my opinion. PS is multi faceted, very clear in its narration description and character build. it is believable albeit happening 1000 years ago. alai osai happend in 1920 thru 40s and the story looks contrived and unbelievable. i guess it won sahitya academy award only because kalki definitely is owed one, and this dealt with the freedom movement..somewhat.