release being delayed. The re-recording was done in Bangkok, with everyone involved working overtime. Music Yuvan Shankar Raja and Selvaraghavan renewed their association with this film, who had earlier teamed up to create music for the films Thulluvadho Ilamai (2001), Kaadhal Kondein (2004) and 7G Rainbow Colony (2005). Both the soundtrack and score were composed in Thailand, where Yuvan Shankar Raja worked with the Chao Phraya Symphony Orchestra of Bangkok. The soundtrack was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and released on 15 December 2005. The lyrics were written by Na. Muthukumar, who had previously written the lyrics for Selvaraghavan's earlier films. Reception Critical reception The film received mixed to positive reviews, although critics pointed out the film's slow pace. A reviewer from Sify.com saying it was "heartbreakingly disappointing and is nowhere in the league of his earlier films", and that it "doesn't unfold quickly and moves at snail pace (sic), puffs and pants with too many characters, subplots and (is) quite long for a gangster genre film". A reviewer from The Hindu wrote, "Selvaraghavan dishes out a protracted bloodbath and somehow you feel he has let you down", while the critic at Rediff.com stated that "coming from a director like Selvaraghavan, Puthupettai is unbelievable. He loses grip over the plot and the narration goes haywire". Ten years after its release, Baradwaj Rangan of The Hindu retrospectively praised the film, stating that "Ten years on, we still haven’t seen another film so unapologetic about the truth that crime does pay." Box office Pudhupettai took the best ever opening for a Selvaraghavan film at the time, netting nearly from five Chennai screens in three days, including from Sathyam Cinemas. It went on to have an average run at the box office despite taking a grand opening, with Selvaraghavan suggesting that excessively violent scenes might have kept family audiences away. Legacy Dhanush made a cameo appearance in the 2015 film Vai Raja Vai directed by his wife Aishwarya, reprising his role of Kokki Kumar. The dialogues "Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru" (You have to work like fire, Kumar) and "Kadavul Irukaan Kumaru" (God is there, Kumar) inspired the 2013 and 2016 films of the same names, respectively. The dialogue "Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru" was also reused by Santhanam in Boss Engira Bhaskaran (2010). References External links 2006 films 2000s crime action films 2006 crime drama films 2006 crime thriller films Films about organised crime