# Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal

Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal (transl. If eyes steal each other) is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language romantic heist comedy 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 marked 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 Kallis (Kaliswaran) are two young IT professionals living a seemingly rich lifestyle. Meera (a beautician) and Shreya (a chef) are their girlfriends, respectively. We learn that Siddharth and Kallis are actually con artists who use online shopping scams to earn money. They buy genuine laptops using false identities, swap genuine internal parts with fake ones, return the laptops for a refund, and sell the genuine internal parts to make money.
One such laptop with fake parts ends up with Prathap Chakravarthi, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), and suddenly explodes. Chakravarthi traces the purchase and zeros in on Siddharth and Kallis. Siddharth and Kallis figure out police is suspecting them and wants to change to stealing cars instead of modifying computers.
In the meantime, a thief steals Meera's bag, and she complains to Siddharth that she has lost her hard-earned money. Siddharth feels guilty and decides that he and Kaliswaran should mend their ways. They take all their money and relocate to Goa with their girlfriends and plan to start a restaurant and a beauty parlor.
Chakravarthi appears in Goa, and confronts their house with police. The men assume initially that they are the police's target. However, they are shocked when Chakravarthi reveals that he is looking for the two women who fled just before he arrived. Siddharth and Kallis realize Meera and Shreya are con artists themselves, and they pretended to be their girlfriends just to loot their money.
After some investigation, they figure out Meera and Shreya are in Delhi, who have forged new identities and are preparing for their next scam. The women are shocked that Siddharth and Kallis have 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$920,000) from Sooraj Mehta, a rich businessman, and if the women love them, they should remain together; if not, they should separate the loot and part ways. The women agree and reveal their new names to be Madhu and Varsha.
Madhu assumes a new identity (Ishita) and befriends Mehta during his yoga class, and Varsha befriends his wife, while Siddarth and Kaliswaran manage to break into the couple's house. In the process, Siddharth realises that Sooraj is a drug lord. The others are scared to continue, but Siddharth persuades them to continue by suggesting that they flee the country after the heist to avoid Mehta's wrath.
On the day of the heist, Varsha is to spend the day shopping with Mehta's wife, and Madhu is to stay with Mehta at his guest house while Siddharth and Kaliswaran loot the house. They steal Mehta's car while it is parked at a hotel car park by hacking it using an app Siddharth had created, and they use the car to enter Mehta's compound. Siddharth and Kaliswaran use a 3D-printed thumbprint to open a locker and steal money, while Madhu fakes an illness as an excuse to leave Mehta's house. To avoid suspicion at the airport, the group opt to travel to Thailand by road. DCP Chakravarthi appears in Delhi and starts checking the vehicles leaving the city, but Siddharth misdirects him and shakes him off.
Back in Chennai, Chakravarthi is being questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation for going out of the way to look for two women who are small-scale cheaters. Chakravarthi maintains silence, but he reminisces being a victim of Madhu's guile in the past, which explains why he took personal interest in nabbing her. The young lovers are shown camping on their way to Thailand, and it is implied they the boys and girls may still not be completely honest with each other.

## Cast

* Dulquer Salmaan as Siddharth
* Ritu Varma as Meera/Madhu/Ishita
* Rakshan as Kallis (Kaliswaran)
* Niranjani Ahathian as Shreya/Varsha
* Gautham Vasudev Menon as DCP Prathap Chakravarthi
* Anish Yohan Kuruvilla as Sooraj Mehta
* Vikash Rajendran as Amjith; Prathap's assistant
* Tiger Garden Thangadurai as a two-wheeler mechanic
* Ameesha Chowdhary as Mrs Mehta, Sooraj's wife
* Udhayabhanu Maheshwaran as a CBI Higher Official
* Gajaraj as a house owner
* Lakshmi as Mrs Chakravarthi, Prathap's wife
* Baby Monika Siva as Prathap's daughter
* Kathir as Prathap's son
* Jacquline Lydia as Kaliswaran's friend

## Production
### Development

   In 2014, Vikram Prabhu's Sigaram Thodu dealt with a credit card scam. So, I had to tweak the script and chose the topic of product tampering.
Desingh Periyasamy wanted Dulquer Salmaan as the lead actor 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. Periyasamy revealed that the film would be a "romantic thriller", with Salmaan 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. The shoot was briefly disrupted by smog in Delhi. In early December, the second schedule began in Goa, with shoots using beaches as the backdrop. The third and final shooting period of the film began in Chennai during late January 2018, and lasted more than a month. In July 2018, it was reported that the filming was nearing completion, with only five days of shooting left.

## Release and reception

The film was released on 28 February 2020 worldwide, along with its Telugu-dubbed version, titled Kanulu Kanulanu Dochayante. The film opened well in multiplexes in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Kerala, with ₹7,856,375 (US$91,000) 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 in 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, 14 April 2020.

### Critical response

   The reaction from the audience was so good that I still get goosebumps thinking about it. I would do anything to relive that moment and experience it again.
The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences. Writing for The Times of India, M Suganth gave the film film three-and-a-half out of five stars 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 film three-and-a-half out of five stars 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 three-and-a-half out of five and noted that 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 the film three-and-a-quarter out of five stars 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 said that "Director Desingh Periyasamy does a commendable job of putting together a film that lets the script be [the] hero, and keeps you guessing and entertained".
Based on the 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

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result |
| 9th South Indian International Movie Awards | 18-19 September 2021 | Best Actor | Dulquer Salmaan | Nominated |
| 9th South Indian International Movie Awards | 18-19 September 2021 | Best Debutant | Ritu Varma | Won |
| 9th South Indian International Movie Awards | 18-19 September 2021 | Best Debutant | Rakshan | Nominated |
| 67th Filmfare Awards South | 9 October 2022 | Filmfare Award for Best Film – Tamil | Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal | Nominated |
| 67th Filmfare Awards South | 9 October 2022 | Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil | Desingh Periyasamy | Nominated |
| 67th Filmfare Awards South | 9 October 2022 | Best Actor – Tamil | Dulquer Salmaan | Nominated |
| 67th Filmfare Awards South | 9 October 2022 | Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil | Gautham Vasudev Menon | Nominated |

## Soundtrack

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

### Critical response to the soundtrack

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".

## Sequel

In an interview, Dulquer Salmaan told Firstpost that Desingh Periyasamy had made plans for a sequel and had narrated the opening 15 minutes of the plot to the team.