Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal

Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Desingh Periyasamy
Written by	Desingh Periyasamy
Produced by	Anto Joseph Viacom 18 Studios
Starring	Dulquer Salmaan Ritu Varma Rakshan Niranjani Ahathian
Cinematography	K. M. Bhaskaran
Edited by	Praveen Anthony
Music by	Masala Coffee Harshavardhan Rameshwar
Production companies	Anto Joseph Film Company Viacom18 Motion Pictures
Release date	28 February 2020
Running time	160 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal (transl. If eyes steal each other) is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy heist thriller film written and directed by Desingh Periyasamy in his directorial debut. The film stars Dulquer Salmaan, Ritu Varma, Rakshan and Niranjani Ahathian. Gautham Vasudev Menon and Uday Mahesh play supporting roles. Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal marks the debuts of Rakshan and Nirinjani. The plot is centered on two pairs of con artists who engage in various scams while juggling romantic relationships, ultimately teaming up to pull off a high-stakes heist.

Development of the film began in 2017, when Salmaan showed interest in collaborating with Periyasamy. Principal photography took place in Goa and Delhi from 18 November 2017 to 24 July 2018. The film features a score composed by Masala Coffee and Harshavardhan Rameshwar.

The film was released on 28 February 2020 and was successful at the box office.

Plot

Siddharth and Kaliswaran, two con artists who use online shopping scams to earn money, each love a beautician called Meera and a chef called Shreya, respectively, while showing themselves as software engineers. However, Meera and Shreya were hiding the fact that they were also con artists trying to scam Siddharth and Kaliswaran by pretending to love them.

DCP Pratap Chakravarthy, who is also a victim of Meera, begins looking into how a laptop he purchased through Siddharth and Kaliswaran's scam explodes, where they buy devices, swap out their original parts for older ones, and then resell them along with the computer parts. Siddharth becomes aware of this and wishes to change his plan to steal cars.

In the meantime, a thief stole Meera's bag, and she cries to Siddharth that she had lost her hard-earned money, who feels guilty and decides that he and Kaliswaran should mend their ways. They settle in Goa by starting a restaurant, but a few days later Pratap tracks down their house, and the boys are panicked that they are going to get caught. However, they are shocked when Pratap reveals that he is looking for the two women who fled just before he arrived. Siddharth and Kaliswaran are surprised by their intentions and are devastated that all of their money was stolen.

They hitchhike to Chennai and successfully track Meera and Shreya, who had forged a new identity and were ready to scam a new man. The girls are shocked that Siddharth and Kaliswaran managed to find them and return their money while asking them to leave. Siddharth proposes that they should work together and steal ₹80,000,000 (US$1.0 million) from Sooraj Methu, a rich businessman, and if the girls love them in the process, they should remain together; if not, they should separate the loot and part ways. The girls agree and reveal their names to be Madhu and Varsha.

Madhu befriends Sooraj during his yoga class, and Varsha befriends his wife, while Siddarth and Kaliswaran manage to break into the house. But Siddharth realises Sooraj is a drug lord, and while the others are scared to continue, Siddharth reassures them to continue by suggesting they flee the country after the heist to avoid Sooraj's wrath.

On the day, Varsha is to spend the day shopping with Sooraj's wife, and Madhu is to stay with Sooraj at his guest house while Siddharth and Karthik loot the house. They hijack Sooraj's car while it is parked at a hotel car park by hacking it using an app Siddharth created and using it to enter Sooraj's compound. Siddharth and Kaliswaran enter the locker room, using a 3D-printed thumbprint to open a locker and steal money, while Madhu fakes an illness to leave Sooraj's house. To avoid suspicion at the airport, they opt to travel to Thailand by road.

Pratap's vehicle checks complicate their departure, but Siddharth misdirects him, mentioning that Madhu is at the airport. Reflecting on the success of the plans, Siddharth and Kaliswaran think the girls have really started loving them, and both couples reconcile and decide to settle down.

In Chennai, Pratap is being questioned by the CBI for breaching airport security to look for two girls who are small-scale cheaters after being misled by Siddharth, and he is embarrassed to reveal that he was once a victim of Madhu's love.

Back at Sooraj's house, Sooraj watches CCTV footage of Siddharth and Kallis stealing the money, but their faces are hidden due to infrared lights. Sooraj cannot complain to the cops as it is illegal money. When Madhumita notices her name tattooed on Siddarth's forearm while they are camping on their way to Thailand, she remorsefully informs him that it is not her real name, but Siddarth tricks her by rubbing the ink off. Varsha reveals herself as Thenmozhi, and Madhumita asks Siddharth to guess her name.

Cast

Dulquer Salmaan

Ritu Varma

Dulquer Salmaan plays Siddharth, whereas Ritu Varma plays Meera, a role with various names.

Production

Development

Desingh Periyasamy wanted Dulquer Salmaan as the lead protagonist in his film after being impressed by Salmaan's performance in Vaayai Moodi Pesavum (2014). Salmaan agreed to do the film before committing to another proposed Tamil film by director Ra. Karthik. Desingh revealed that the film would be a "romantic thriller", with Dulquer portraying a "happy-go-lucky" youngster in the film. The film was initially scheduled to start production in July 2017, but faced a delay while the team searched for a suitable lead actress. Ritu Varma joined the team as the lead actress in September 2017. Rakshan, a television anchor, was also selected to make his acting debut in the film. In November 2017, the film was titled Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal, inspired by a song by A. R. Rahman in Mani Ratnam's Thiruda Thiruda (1993).

Filming

Production work began in Delhi on 15 November 2017, with Salmaan joining the shoot three days later, when an official launch ceremony was held. However, the shoot was briefly disrupted by the smog in Delhi at that time. In early December, the second schedule began in Goa, with shoots occurring using the backdrop of the beaches. The third and final schedule of the film began in Chennai during late January 2018, and progressed for more than a month. By July 2018, it was revealed that the film was nearing completion, with only five days of shooting left.

Soundtrack

Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithal
Soundtrack album by Masala Coffee
Released	21 February 2020
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	21:00
Language	Tamil
Label	Zee Music Company
Producer	Masala Coffee
Masala Coffee chronology
Mundina Nildana (2019) Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithal (2020)
External audio Official Audio Jukebox on YouTube
Singles from Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal
"Ennai Vittu" Released: 14 February 2020 "Sirikkalam Parakkalam" Released: 21 February 2020

The soundtrack is composed by Masala Coffee. The background score of the film is composed by Harshavardhan Rameshwar. The first single track was released on 14 February 2020, and the entire album was released on 21 February 2020.

Critical response

Jyothi Prabhakar of The Times of India expressed a mixed opinion towards the soundtrack, stating that the tracks "do sound peppy and upbeat in the beginning, but by the time you’re done with the album, composed by Masala Coffee, the overload of percussion, same type of beats, tunes and lyrical treatment begin to seem overbearing."

Sudhir Srinivasan of The New Indian Express stated that the soundtrack was "too awfully similar to Passenger’s Let Her Go", but she otherwise "quite enjoyed the music of this film."

Release and reception

The film was released on 28 February 2020 worldwide along with its Telugu dubbed version title Kanulu Kanulanu Dochayante. The film opened well in multiplexes in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Kerala, with ₹7,856,375 (US$98,000) being collected in Chennai from 192 screens in the first seven days of release.

The movie was available to be purchased for $1.99 on Simply South on 19 March 2020 for all countries except India. The movie was released on Netflix on 29 March 2020 for all countries. The satellite rights were sold to Star Vijay which premiered the film on the evening of Tamil New Year on 14 April 2020.

Critical response

The film received highly positive reviews from critics and audiences. Writing for Times of India, M Suganth gave the film 3.5 out of 5 and said that "Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal is a winsome romantic thriller with charming leads and edge-of-the-seat moments. Desingh Periyasamy displays a flair for this material both in his writing and making."

Likewise, S Subhakeerthana of The Indian Express rated the 3.5 out of 5 and praised the film's comedic timing, writing that "The film rides on clever writing and performances. Some of the funniest moments of Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal are those that involve Dulquer Salmaan and Rakshan."

Sify gave the film 3.5 out of 5 and noted how although the film was longer than average films, the "con angle" keeps the viewer engaged, writing that "Desingh Periyasamy has delivered an enjoyable romantic entertainer with enough brainy moments that keeps you hooked till the end."

Writing for Firstpost, Sreedhar Pillai gave 3.25 stars out of five and said that "Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal looks fresh, and is an enjoyable rom-com or more appropriately, a rip-roaring con ride, mainly owing to its smart writing." Anupama Subramanian wrote for the Deccan Chronicle that, "Debutant director Desingh Periyasamy's Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal is a synthesis of a rom-com and a modern crime caper, without any pretence or preachiness. So it makes for a fun-filled ride."

The Hindu stated "Director Desingh Periyasamy does a commendable job of putting together a film that lets the script be hero, and keeps you guessing and entertained".

Based on positive feedback from audiences on Twitter, the Times of India reported that "Dulquer Salmaan and Ritu Varma's romantic thriller is doing better than what was expected by experts."

Accolades

Sequel

In an interview, Dulquer Salmaan told Firstpost that Desingh Periyasamy planned for the sequel and also narrated the opening 15 minutes to the team.