Seenu Ramasamy's Kanne Kalaimaane starts off with a money lender harassing a Theatre Artist dressed as Karna, because the latter failed to repay a loan. Karna is someone who is known for being a generous person, who kindly gives away whatever others ask. The same can be said of Kamala Kannan, an Agri student (played by Udhayanidhi). The initial moments figuratively makes him look like the saint of the village. He has taken loans in the bank to help 9 different people, in return, they keep praising his character.

This film has a beautiful story to be told, but the film loses track very early and starts conveying what it wants to say very late. The first half strays away from the plot, as we see scenes staged with Udhayanidhi talking about farmers and their plight. There are also dialogues about NEET and farmers' suicide, but how it merges with the story is a question left unanswered, and this makes them sound preachy. While it is okay to have a social message, why not make a standalone film about it? Why should it be mixed with a family drama that has so much potential to be explored? With so many subplots in the first half, there is a little confusion about where the film is heading to.

The long shots used to capture the landscape look delightful and is used judiciously. Yuvan Shankar Raja's songs and the background score are passable. If the first half had engagement issues, the second half is all about setting that right. The film becomes more focussed to the plot, and we can sense the filmmaker tighten the screws, coming across a lot of flab. It does not give up and becomes quite watchable.

Tamannah's character is an interesting and important one. She is named Bharathi, she is a revolutionary woman who believes in equality, and also follows Periyar's ideology. For instance, we see a wedding where she is calling the shots, and there is no priest. Vadivukkarasi (who plays the role of Udhayanidhi's grandmother) is portrayed as a close-minded lady with conservative thoughts has delivered a very good matured performance. Udhayanidhi is caught between both these and plays his part with the utmost subtlety. The constant clash between both ideologies ensures that we start taking the film quite seriously. Yes, we do it late, but it's better late than never.