Kuttrame Thandanai (English: The Crime is the Punishment) is a 2016 Tamil language crime-drama film co-written, photographed and directed by M. Manikandan, starring Vidharth, Aishwarya Rajesh and Pooja Devariya in the leading roles. The film follows the story of a man with tunnel vision, who is slowly going blind and cannot afford the surgery to fix his eyes. When he witnesses a young woman’s murder, the suspects offer him large sums of money to remain quiet and he inadvertently gets stuck in between two parties. The film released on 2 September 2016 to positive reviews, following several screenings at film festivals worldwide.
Prior to its theatrical release, the film premiered at a few international festivals, including the New York Indian Film Festival and Mumbai International Film Festival. The film had a worldwide theatrical release on 2 September 2016 and received critical acclaim. Behindwoods.com noted that it was a “technically sound thriller film”, while Rediff.com noted “despite the ordinary performances, the gripping plot, engaging screenplay and care to technical details make director Manikandan’s Kutrame Thandanai an interesting watch”. A critic from The New Indian Express wrote “with its mature unconventional take on a crime scene, and its international feel and sensibility, Kuttrame Thandanai does Tamil cinema proud”, adding that Manikandan displays “out-of-the-box-thinking, an intriguing screenplay and deft narration”.
Directed by M. Manikandan
Produced by S. Harihara Naganathan, S. Muthu & S. Kaleeswaran
Written by M. Manikandan & Anand Annamalai
Starring Vidharth, Aishwarya Rajesh, Pooja Devariya, Rahman
Music by Ilaiyaraaja
Cinematography M. Manikandan
Edited by Anucharan
Production Don Production & Tribal Art Productions
Distributed by KR Films
Release dates 2 September 2016
Country India
Language Tamil
