Overview
A darkly comedic take on crime and friendship in the bustling city of Chennai.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- irreverent
- witty
- wacky
- group movie night
- late night comedy viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's crisp screenplay, inventive characters, sharp dialogue, performances, and successful dark-comedy tone.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Das's kidnapping business, the staged abduction, and the police pursuit generate jokes from criminal danger and institutional absurdity.
Arumai Prakasam's self-kidnapping collides with Das and his friends' actual ransom operation, creating layered reversals.
Das runs a deliberately structured smart-kidnap scam with rules and procedures that distinguish it from chaotic street crime.
Pagalavan, Kesavan, and Sekhar lose their jobs and join Das, turning economic displacement into a cooperative criminal adventure.
Films like Soodhu Kavvum, and why
The Kidnapper's Guide to Scotland
Shared darkly comic crime plotting, eccentric characters, and escalating kidnapping complications.
In Bruges
Shared black humor, criminal absurdity, and a tense comedy-thriller structure built around bungled schemes.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Shared irreverent crime caper energy, sharp comic dialogue, and colorful ensemble criminals.
Ruthless People
Shared comic kidnapping premise, mistaken control, and farcical reversals around ransom schemes.
Movie Details
- Director
- Nalan Kumarasamy
- Release Date
- 2013-05-01
- Runtime
- 138 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (70)
Cast
- Vijay Sethupathi
- Bobby Simha
- Ashok Selvan
- Ramesh Thilak
- Karunakaran
- M. S. Bhaskar
- Radha Ravi
- Yog Jappie
- Sanchita Shetty
- Aruldoss
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Soodhu Kavvum about?
- A jobless trio joins a rule-bound kidnapper, only to find their lucrative scam tangled in a politician's son's staged abduction and an uncompromising police pursuit.
- What is Soodhu Kavvum like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Soodhu Kavvum as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Soodhu Kavvum violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Soodhu Kavvum as moderate.
- What did critics think of Soodhu Kavvum?
- Critics broadly praised the film's crisp screenplay, inventive characters, sharp dialogue, performances, and successful dark-comedy tone.
- Which films are like Soodhu Kavvum?
- Films with a similar feel include The Kidnapper's Guide to Scotland, In Bruges, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and Ruthless People.
- How long is Soodhu Kavvum?
- Soodhu Kavvum runs 138 minutes.
- Where can I watch Soodhu Kavvum?
- In United States, Soodhu Kavvum is available to rent or buy from Google Play Movies, YouTube.
