# Kannai Nambathey (கண்ணை நம்பதே)
**Kannai Nambathey** (கண்ணை நம்பதே) is a 2023 Tamil-language crime thriller written and directed by Mu. Maran, starring [Udhayanidhi Stalin](https://www.edgepedia.org/udhayanidhi-stalin) and Aathmika, released in Indian cinemas on 17 March 2023.[1](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/movies/kannai-nambathe.html) • [2](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/kannai-nambathey/kannai-nambathey-review.html) It was Maran's second film as director, following his debut *[Iravukku Aayiram Kangal](https://www.edgepedia.org/iravukku-aayiram-kangal)* (2018) with Arulnithi.[3](https://www.moviecrow.com/News/24724/kannai-nambathey-is-an-edge-seated-thriller-tale-happening-in-2-days---mu-maran)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 17 March 2023, Tamil language, U/A certificate[1](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/movies/kannai-nambathe.html) |
| Director | Mu. Maran, who also wrote the story and screenplay[2](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/kannai-nambathey/kannai-nambathey-review.html) |
| Leads | Udhayanidhi Stalin (Arun) and Aathmika (Divya)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kannai_nambathey/cast-and-crew) |
| Supporting cast | Prasanna (Somu), Srikanth (Ilamaran), Bhumika Chawla (Savita/Kavita), Sathish, Vasundhara Kashyap, Subiksha, G. Marimuthu[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kannai_nambathey/cast-and-crew) |
| Key crew | Music Siddhu Kumar; cinematography Jalandhar Vasan (with Good Sreedhar); editing San Lokesh; producer V N Ranjith Kumar, Lipi Cine Crafts[2](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/kannai-nambathey/kannai-nambathey-review.html) |
| Runtime | About 2 hours 12 minutes; the British Board of Film Classification measured the 2D version at 131 minutes 36 seconds[5](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/kannai-nambathey-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdeymdgx) |
| Streaming | Released on Netflix after the theatrical run[6](https://www.adrasaka.com/2023/04/2023_17.html?m=0) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Arun (Udhayanidhi Stalin), a private-company employee, is forced to leave his rented house after his girlfriend's father discovers their relationship.[2](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/kannai-nambathey/kannai-nambathey-review.html) • [10](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil-cinema-udhayanithi-kannai-nambaathe-movie-review-614987/) While searching for a new home with his friend, he becomes the roommate of Somu (Prasanna).[2](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/kannai-nambathey/kannai-nambathey-review.html) On that first night, the two go to a bar, where Arun witnesses a small accident involving a woman ([Bhumika Chawla](https://www.edgepedia.org/bhumika-chawla)); he drives her car to drop her home.[2](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/kannai-nambathey/kannai-nambathey-review.html) The next morning, when he returns the car, Arun discovers the woman's body inside the vehicle and is shocked.[10](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil-cinema-udhayanithi-kannai-nambaathe-movie-review-614987/) • [12](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/962627-kannai-nambathey-movie-review.html) From there, Arun, who has no connection to the crime, is caught in a web of interconnected crimes, and the film follows how the mystery unravels.[11](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/kannai-nambathey/movie-review/98723417.cms) • [12](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/962627-kannai-nambathey-movie-review.html)
## Production and delay
The film had a long production. Work began in 2018, and Maran started the project in 2019; the COVID-19 pandemic and its lockdowns delayed completion, and the film reached theaters on 17 March 2023.[6](https://www.adrasaka.com/2023/04/2023_17.html?m=0) • [7](https://www.ottplay.com/news/kannai-nambathey-udhayanidhi-stalin-to-appear-in-five-get-ups-the-maamannan-actor-explains/98853aa6b4419) At a pre-release event, Udhayanidhi Stalin described the film as a long and challenging journey and said he had doubted at times whether it would ever release.[7](https://www.ottplay.com/news/kannai-nambathey-udhayanidhi-stalin-to-appear-in-five-get-ups-the-maamannan-actor-explains/98853aa6b4419)
Maran, a former journalist, said he researched the script by studying how police officers work, reading newspapers, and going through case records.[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/interviews/2023/Mar/16/we-need-more-socio-political-films-udhayanidhi-stalin-41142.html) He described the film as "a regular crime-thriller delivered in an irregular pattern," opening with a character committing a crime and then revealing the events that led up to it, and said the story unfolds over a span of two days.[9](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/tamil/interviews/2023/Mar/06/mu-maran-there-is-nothing-wrong-in-stars-calling-the-shots-40718.html) • [3](https://www.moviecrow.com/News/24724/kannai-nambathey-is-an-edge-seated-thriller-tale-happening-in-2-days---mu-maran) Udhayanidhi said his cousin, the actor Arulnithi, had referred him to Maran after *Iravukku Aayiram Kangal*.[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/interviews/2023/Mar/16/we-need-more-socio-political-films-udhayanidhi-stalin-41142.html)
## Reception
The film opened to mixed reviews. The Times of India's critic gave it 2.5 out of 5, writing that it falters despite a thrilling setup and that better lighting, staging, and tighter second-half writing could have created a greater impact.[11](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/kannai-nambathey/movie-review/98723417.cms) The Hindu Tamil review credited the performances of Udhayanidhi, Prasanna, Bhumika Chawla, and Srikanth, but judged that the flashback sequences explaining Bhumika's character felt stale and that the resolution followed a routine masala-film pattern.[12](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/962627-kannai-nambathey-movie-review.html) [Behindwoods](https://www.edgepedia.org/behindwoods) called it a watchable thriller for the performances, music, and a few twists, and noted that editor San Lokesh's work kept the non-linear narrative from becoming confusing.[2](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/kannai-nambathey/kannai-nambathey-review.html) On IMDb the film held a rating of 5.8 out of 10 from about 900 users.[13](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23847184/) Sacnilk reported an India net collection of ₹30.5 million (₹3.05 crore).[14](https://sacnilk.com/tag/Kannai_Nambaathe_2023)
## Context in Udhayanidhi Stalin's career
The release carried political weight. Udhayanidhi Stalin had become [Tamil Nadu](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-nadu)'s sports development minister and had announced that Mari Selvaraj's *Maamannan* would be his last film, making *Kannai Nambathey* the first film he released after becoming a minister.[15](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/news/kannai-nambathey-director-mu-maaran-explain-jayalalitha-controversy-scene-106105.html) • [16](https://tamil.behindtalkies.com/kannai-nambathey-movie-review/) At a press screening, a scene that appeared to mock the hospitalization of the former chief minister Jayalalithaa drew questions from journalists; Maran responded that the moment was intended as light comedy, that the censor board would not have cleared a genuinely objectionable scene, and that he held great respect for Jayalalithaa.[15](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/news/kannai-nambathey-director-mu-maaran-explain-jayalalitha-controversy-scene-106105.html) Udhayanidhi also said he appeared in five looks in the film, including get-ups referencing his earlier films *Kalanga Thalaivan*, *Nenjukku Needhi*, and *Maamannan*, shot at night on roads between the schedules of those productions.[7](https://www.ottplay.com/news/kannai-nambathey-udhayanidhi-stalin-to-appear-in-five-get-ups-the-maamannan-actor-explains/98853aa6b4419)
## References
1. [கண்ணை நம்பாதே (2023) Movie page, Filmibeat Tamil](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/movies/kannai-nambathe.html)
2. [Kannai Nambathey (aka) Kannai Nambaathe review, Behindwoods](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/kannai-nambathey/kannai-nambathey-review.html)
3. ["Kannai Nambathey is an edge-seated thriller tale happening in 2 days" - Mu Maran, Moviecrow](https://www.moviecrow.com/News/24724/kannai-nambathey-is-an-edge-seated-thriller-tale-happening-in-2-days---mu-maran)
4. [Kannai Nambathey Cast and Crew, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kannai_nambathey/cast-and-crew)
5. [Kannai Nambathey, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/kannai-nambathey-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdeymdgx)
6. [கண்ணை நம்பாதே (2023) சினிமா விமர்சனம் @ நெட்ஃபிளிக்ஸ், Adrasaka](https://www.adrasaka.com/2023/04/2023_17.html?m=0)
7. [Kannai Nambathey: Udhayanidhi Stalin to appear in five get-ups?, OTTPlay](https://www.ottplay.com/news/kannai-nambathey-udhayanidhi-stalin-to-appear-in-five-get-ups-the-maamannan-actor-explains/98853aa6b4419)
8. [We need more socio-political films: Udhayanidhi Stalin, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/interviews/2023/Mar/16/we-need-more-socio-political-films-udhayanidhi-stalin-41142.html)
9. [Mu Maran: There is nothing wrong in stars calling the shots, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/tamil/interviews/2023/Mar/06/mu-maran-there-is-nothing-wrong-in-stars-calling-the-shots-40718.html)
10. [த்ரில்லருக்கு செட் ஆனாரா உதயநிதி? கண்ணை நம்பாதே விமர்சனம், Indian Express Tamil](https://tamil.indianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil-cinema-udhayanithi-kannai-nambaathe-movie-review-614987/)
11. [Kannai Nambathey Movie Review, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/kannai-nambathey/movie-review/98723417.cms)
12. [கண்ணை நம்பாதே: திரை விமர்சனம், Hindu Tamil](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/962627-kannai-nambathey-movie-review.html)
13. [Kannai Nambathey (2023), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23847184/)
14. [Kannai Nambaathe (2023-03-17) Movie Details, Sacnilk](https://sacnilk.com/tag/Kannai_Nambaathe_2023)
15. [கண்ணை நம்பாதே ஜெயலலிதா சர்ச்சை காட்சி விளக்கம், Filmibeat Tamil](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/news/kannai-nambathey-director-mu-maaran-explain-jayalalitha-controversy-scene-106105.html)
16. [Kannai Nambathey Movie Review | கண்ணை நம்பாதே](https://tamil.behindtalkies.com/kannai-nambathey-movie-review/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Tamil films of the 2020s › Tamil films of 2022 and 2023*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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