Produced by A. Raghuram and co-written by Subha, the film stars Ajith Kumar, Arya, Nayanthara, Taapsee Pannu and Rana Daggubati (in a cameo), with Mahesh Manjrekar, Aadukalam Naren, Kishore, Atul Kulkarni, Akshara Gowda and Murali Sharma in supporting roles.

While the score and soundtrack of the film were composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, the cinematography was handled by Om Prakash and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad.

Past: A few months ago, Ashok was a former member of the Anti-Terrorist Squad who was on a mission to expose a scam regarding faulty bulletproof jackets given to the security forces, which resulted in many deaths, including his best friend and colleague ACP Sanjay.

It turned out that Home Minister Mahadev Rane and his associates JCP Milind Virekar and Ramya Radhakrishnan were the people involved in the scam.

Ashok advises Prakash to think from the point of view of a commoner instead of a policeman to determine whether it is right on his part to save a corrupt person.

Arjun and Anitha get married, while Ashok transfers Mahadev's illegal money to the Reserve Bank without revealing his appearance.

[28] Ajith continued the "salt and pepper look" from Mankatha,[29] as he would play a "mature guy",[30] and underwent supervised weight-training, working out at the gym for six hours a day.

[31][32] The actor later disclosed that he played a "mean guy ... a politically incorrect character" while adding that the film would have a "strong social message".

[42] The makers had tossed with the idea of naming the film Thala, Ajith's nickname, which was refused by the actor,[43] while Vishnuvardhan also requested fans to suggest a suitable title.

[57] Vishnuvardhan told that he was looking for an actress who could speak Tamil properly to be cast for the lead female role,[21] with Anushka Shetty and Amala Paul being among the considered candidates.

By late May, Hindi actor Mahesh Manjrekar was finalised for the role of a villain in the film, stating that he would be shooting for it from August onwards.

[72] The next month, Suman Ranganathan was cast for the role of Ramya, a "hard-nosed reporter", making a comeback to Tamil cinema after 17 years.

[86] Principal photography of the film was to begin on Chennai on 31 May 2012, but started with a slight delay on 2 June 2012 with portions involving Nayanthara and Arya,[87] while Ajith joined them a day later.

[88] The filming was expected to proceed until the end of the month in Mumbai,[89] but was later cancelled due to monsoon and the location was shifted to Bangalore.

[98] In late December a short shooting schedule was held in Chennai,[99] during which a fight sequence featuring Ajith and Arya was shot.

[105] In March 2013, Ajith, Arya and Nayanthara shot a holi song featuring both Tamil and Hindi lyrics at a studio in Mumbai,[106] which was choreographed by Dinesh.

[107] The crew will be shooting the last schedule in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan from 1 May onwards,[108] after which the unit was reported to be moving to Orissa, where a song and a few scenes were to be shot.

[114] The entire filming was completed in early October 2013 with the last day shoot held in a Mumbai mall featuring Ajith and Arya.

[115] Cinematographer Om Prakash stated that he wanted to give the visuals a "green tint because the colour 'green' is commonly associated with prosperity and knowledge".

[121] Yuvan Shankar Raja was signed on to compose the film's soundtrack and score, continuing his association with Vishnuvardhan and Ajith Kumar.

[142] By mid-October 2013, a petition was filed in the Madras High Court by B. Rajeswari alleging that Arrambam producer A. M. Rathnam had not returned money borrowed from the financier and remanding the film's release to be stalled until the dues were met.

[145] Behindwoods stated, "Director Vishnuvardhan, writer duo Subha and editor Sreekar Prasad have to be commended for managing to keep the audiences hooked to their seats for a majority of the movie with very few drag moments.

"[147] Indiaglitz commented, "Simple, elegant and class but richly crafted to keep you tuned to the screen – 'Arrambam' is an interesting story in a gripping screenplay."

Fans are likely to be delighted with a narrative that pumps up their hero’s strengths (coolness; good comebacks, including a terrific punch line about fingerprints) and downplays his failings (dramatics)".

[149] M. Suganth of The Times of India rated it 3 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Arrambam is a very familiar tale of corruption, betrayal and revenge, served up with a dash of style.

Vishnuvardhan has taken a leaf out of a real-life incident and with the help of his co-writers SuBa, has spun an action thriller that, for the most parts, keeps moving at a fast clip".

[153] S. Saraswathi of Rediff rated it 3 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Arrambam is a stylish and fast-paced action thriller set in the backdrop of the 26/11 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, that is unfortunately let down by its uninspired and mediocre storyline".

[154] Bangalore Mirror wrote, "From the start to the end, Aarambam is an out-and-out Ajith film — a perfect Diwali gift for Thala's fans across the world.

[155] Eddie Harrison of The List rated it 2/5 and called it a "derivative but splashy and colourful action-fest that makes the most of a charismatic star-turn from Kumar.

[157] IndiaGlitz said, "Ajith has done a truly great job in the movie – more than a hero (or anti-hero, as he is cast), he has performed as the typical character that Subha and Vishnuvardhan have conceived.