# Kootathil Oruthan
**Kootathil Oruthan** (கூட்டத்தில் ஒருத்தன்) is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy-drama directed by [T.J. Gnanavel](https://www.edgepedia.org/t-j-gnanavel) in his debut, starring [Ashok Selvan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ashok-selvan) as Aravind, an unremarkable "middle-bencher" who falls in love with the high-achieving Janani, played by [Priya Anand](https://www.edgepedia.org/priya-anand).[1](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/reviews/story/kootathil-oruthan-movie-review-ashok-selvan-priya-anand-1026960-2017-07-29) It was released in theaters on 28 July 2017 and runs about two hours.[2](https://m.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/kootathil-oruthan/kootathil-oruthan-review.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 28 July 2017, Tamil language, censor rating U[2](https://m.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/kootathil-oruthan/kootathil-oruthan-review.html) |
| Director | T.J. Gnanavel, a debutant who had worked as a journalist in a Tamil publication for a decade[1](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/reviews/story/kootathil-oruthan-movie-review-ashok-selvan-priya-anand-1026960-2017-07-29) • [3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2017/jul/31/films-should-not-be-commercial-gimmicks-kootathil-oruthan-director-tj-gnanavel-1635884.html) |
| Lead cast | Ashok Selvan (Aravind), Priya Anand (Janani), Bala Saravanan, Samuthirakani[1](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/reviews/story/kootathil-oruthan-movie-review-ashok-selvan-priya-anand-1026960-2017-07-29) |
| Production | Dream Warrior Pictures; producers S.R. Prabhu and S.R. Prakashbabu[2](https://m.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/kootathil-oruthan/kootathil-oruthan-review.html) |
| Music and crew | Nivas K Prasanna (music and background score), P.K. Varma (cinematography), Leo John Paul (editing)[2](https://m.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/kootathil-oruthan/kootathil-oruthan-review.html) |
| Reception | 2.5/5 from The Times of India and India Today, 2.75/5 from Behindwoods; IMDb 6.7/10[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/kootathil-oruthan/movie-review/59805384.cms) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/kootathil-oruthan) |
| Availability | Streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Prime Video with Ads[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/kootathil-oruthan) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Aravind is a middle child and a middle-bencher at school, so unremarkable that even his teacher asks him which class he belongs to. His father, a teacher played by [G. Marimuthu](https://www.edgepedia.org/g-marimuthu), wants a high achiever; his sister has a software job and his younger brother excels at studies and sports.[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/kootathil-oruthan/movie-review/59805384.cms) When Janani, a state topper, becomes the first person to praise him, he falls for her and enrolls in the same journalism course to be near her.[1](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/reviews/story/kootathil-oruthan-movie-review-ashok-selvan-priya-anand-1026960-2017-07-29)
When Aravind proposes, Janani rejects him, saying there is nothing in him that impresses her and asking him to achieve something in life.[6](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/290717/kootathil-oruthan-movie-review-has-all-the-right-intentions.html) A suicidal Aravind fails to kill himself but instead saves a boy from drowning; the boy is the disabled son of Sathya ([Samuthirakani](https://www.edgepedia.org/samuthirakani)), a construction mogul and local don.[7](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/tamil/2017/Jul/28/kootathil-oruthan-not-your-average-romance-1351.html) Grateful, Sathya creates fake situations and events by which Aravind becomes a hero overnight, until a turn of events exposes him.[6](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/290717/kootathil-oruthan-movie-review-has-all-the-right-intentions.html) In the process of the rejection and its aftermath, Aravind starts an NGO and becomes one of the most respected people in society.[8](https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0SGF92RRC7YKVO5K89KSP8A564/)
## Production
Gnanavel wrote the film after meeting the late Thenkachi Ko Swaminathan, the radio host of *Indru Oru Thagaval*, whose life journey inspired the story; Gnanavel noted that Swaminathan "was a middle-bencher too".[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2017/jul/31/films-should-not-be-commercial-gimmicks-kootathil-oruthan-director-tj-gnanavel-1635884.html) The director said the story revolves around the life of a middle-bencher, an introvert, and that he realized while writing that the protagonist "actually has no problem. He is his own problem. All the issues are in his head."[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2017/jul/31/films-should-not-be-commercial-gimmicks-kootathil-oruthan-director-tj-gnanavel-1635884.html) The production team took care that Ashok Selvan's look and body language stayed true to the character.[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2017/jul/31/films-should-not-be-commercial-gimmicks-kootathil-oruthan-director-tj-gnanavel-1635884.html)
The Times of India preview noted that the film would probably be the first time [Tamil cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-cinema) dealt with middle-benchers.[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/previews/kootathil-oruthan/articleshow/59755417.cms)
## Reception
**Reviews were mixed.** The Times of India gave 2.5/5, crediting Balasaravanan with most of the laughs and praising effective dialogues such as "Saadhichitu vandhu love pannu-nu solra, naanellam love panradhe saadhanai dhaan", but judging that the film about an average guy ends up being unexceptional, with climactic portions in message-movie territory and an unintentionally funny end.[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/kootathil-oruthan/movie-review/59805384.cms) India Today also rated it 2.5/5, calling the first half hour fresh and funny but the narrative boring once the gangster track becomes a catalyst for the romance, and concluding the film could have been better had it stayed with the middle-bencher theme.[1](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/reviews/story/kootathil-oruthan-movie-review-ashok-selvan-priya-anand-1026960-2017-07-29) [Behindwoods](https://www.edgepedia.org/behindwoods) gave 2.75/5, calling it a feel-good film that ends with a much-needed social message and praising the mature handling of Aravind's growth through experience rather than a single moment.[2](https://m.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/kootathil-oruthan/kootathil-oruthan-review.html)
Reviewers singled out performances. Ashok Selvan's deadpan delivery and complete immersion in the character, from his slouch to his unremarkable look, drew praise, as did Bala Saravanan's one-liners and Priya Anand's subtle performance in a meaty role.[2](https://m.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/kootathil-oruthan/kootathil-oruthan-review.html) • [10](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/kootathil-oruthan-review-average-film-has-bitten-more-it-can-chew-65918) The News Minute was more critical, arguing that the film follows the stalking-and-rejection tropes it claims to subvert and that Gnanavel shifts genre from romantic comedy to thriller to docu-drama without settling on one.[10](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/kootathil-oruthan-review-average-film-has-bitten-more-it-can-chew-65918) Cinema Express, by contrast, saw the genre shifts as deliberate twists on romance tropes, noting that the last 20 minutes take on a documentary feel in which the director's constructed setpieces pay off.[7](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/tamil/2017/Jul/28/kootathil-oruthan-not-your-average-romance-1351.html)
On IMDb the film holds a 6.7/10 rating.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/kootathil-oruthan)
## Availability
The film remains available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video in India, both with and without advertisements.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/kootathil-oruthan)
## References
1. [Kootathil Oruthan movie review: An average romantic drama, India Today (29 July 2017)](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/reviews/story/kootathil-oruthan-movie-review-ashok-selvan-priya-anand-1026960-2017-07-29)
2. [Kootathil Oruthan (aka) KootathilOruthan review, Behindwoods Review Board](https://m.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/kootathil-oruthan/kootathil-oruthan-review.html)
3. [Films should not be commercial gimmicks: Kootathil Oruthan director TJ Gnanavel, The New Indian Express (31 July 2017)](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2017/jul/31/films-should-not-be-commercial-gimmicks-kootathil-oruthan-director-tj-gnanavel-1635884.html)
4. [Kootathil Oruthan Review {2.5/5}, The Times of India (28 July 2017)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/kootathil-oruthan/movie-review/59805384.cms)
5. [Kootathil Oruthan streaming: where to watch online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/kootathil-oruthan)
6. [Kootathil Oruthan movie review: Has all the right intentions, Deccan Chronicle (29 July 2017)](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/290717/kootathil-oruthan-movie-review-has-all-the-right-intentions.html)
7. [Kootathil Oruthan: Not your average romance, Cinema Express (28 July 2017)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/tamil/2017/Jul/28/kootathil-oruthan-not-your-average-romance-1351.html)
8. [Kootathil Oruthan, Prime Video](https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0SGF92RRC7YKVO5K89KSP8A564/)
9. [Kootathil Oruthan preview, The Times of India (25 July 2017)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/previews/kootathil-oruthan/articleshow/59755417.cms)
10. [Kootathil Oruthan Review: An 'average' film that has bitten off more than it can chew, The News Minute (28 July 2017)](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/kootathil-oruthan-review-average-film-has-bitten-more-it-can-chew-65918)
---
*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 2010s › Tamil romantic films of the 2010s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license