When asked by Vetrimaaran to develop a script, Manikandan wrote a storyline based on slum children and also inspired incidents from his life.

It opened to widespread critical acclaim praising the performances of the cast members, storyline, screenplay, direction and other major technical aspects.

When their mother and grandmother finally do bring home a television, a gift from the government to ration card holders who live below the poverty line, it's like the opening of a portal.

He tells them that people place a lot of importance on clothes and advises them to save up and purchase new dresses before approaching the pizza outlet again.

[14] To develop the conflict stronger, he characterised the lead artists as slum children and also realised that the kids get attracted to things only because of catchy advertisements.

She was very hesitant at first to play a mother role at such an early stage in her career, but, after seeking advice from her Pannaiyarum Padminiyum co-star Vijay Sethupathi, she decided to be part of the film.

The ending leaves an indelible impact and finds resonance with the middle class movie-going audience irrespective of their cultural background.

Manikandan said that few scenes of the film had inspired from Not One Less, City of God and Slumdog Millionaire, based on the visual themes and setting in slums.

[14] The Times of India-based critic M. Suganth said that Manikandan's earnestness in the filmmaking invites comparison with Iranian films like Children of Heaven (1997).

[31] Writing for American magazine The Hollywood Reporter, Jordan Mintzer called Kaaka Muttai "an allegory for the vast class differences that persist in India, revealing how people try to profit off a system that leaves little room for advancement.

At its core, the film is about the adventures of two slum boys in a world that is taking on a swanky avatar backed by moneyed entrepreneurs, shrewd politicians and loafing opportunists.

[36] Except for the film's composer, the entire cast and crew, including the producers Dhanush and Vetrimaaran attended the launch event and released the songs.

[53] The film's worldwide theatrical rights acquisition was brought by the corporate multi-media production house, Fox Star Studios,[54] in order to ensure a wide reach towards the audience.

[43] Kaaka Muttai's theatrical trailer was screened during the inaugural day premiere at IFFLA in Los Angeles, during April 2015, and was positively received by audience.

[56] In addition to the theatrical release in India, the film was also screened at overseas countries,[57] including United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

[63] The presenters of the film, Dhanush and Vetrimaaran, along with the distributor Fox Star Studios, associated with charitable non-government organisation called Bhumi for the well-being of the actors.

[64] The company CEO, Vijay Singh, released a statement saying "The Chennai-based NGO will be entrusted with a substantial sum of money towards the food, education and additional needs of the two child actors.

[77][78] Kaaka Muttai received universal critical acclaim, praising the direction, script, screenplay, performances and other technical aspects of the film.

Kaaka Muttai is a slice of life vibrant film which is sure to put a big smile on your face as you are stepping out of the movie hall.

"[86] Anupama Subramanian of Deccan Chronicle gave it 3.5 stars and wrote, "with unenhanced visuals that gives a sense of verisimilitude, acting that isn't staged and dramatised in any obvious sense, and more importantly, characters that bring alive a subsection of the populace, Kaakka Muttai is sure to make you at least a slightly better person than you were before, owing to the reflective power of the film".

[87] Writing for Hindustan Times, Gauthaman Bhaskaran gave 3.5 out of 5 stars wrote "A neatly packaged, well structured narrative with three dimensional characters, Kaaka Muttai (Crow's Egg) is a delight to behold".

[88] Uday Bhatia of Mint wrote, "the film invites us to admire the resourcefulness of the two siblings without turning them into objects of pity or sentiment.

It's the strangest feel-good film you'll see this year: two kids in rags, happily walking past piles of garbage, their heads full of pizza".

[89] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave 3.5 out of 5 saying "Like all good films that children can watch, 'Kaakkaa Muttai' has many terrific take-aways, but they are delivered minus hammering.

"[90] Suhani Singh of India Today wrote "Kaakka Muttai celebrates the joys of childhood and the vivid imagination of kids, who find a way to reach their goal even if it is the most arduous one.

"[91] Reviewing for the British news portal, The Guardian, Mike McCahill stated "M Manikandan's latter-day parable mines both laughter and tears from the struggles of two young brothers to put food on the table".

And while all the parts do not necessarily form a perfect pie, the film provides some vivid moments and a handful of strong performances, which should help give it a boost".

[32] Mythili Ramachandran of Gulf News said "Without a star cast or exotic locations, here is a director who dared to present a simple story, without trapping himself in the regular mould of Tamil cinema.

"[94] Writing for the South China Morning Post, James Marsh said "The light-hearted and witty script [...] incorporates everything from political corruption to media manipulation, painting a rich and vibrant portrait of the contemporary Indian experience.

Later he worked on that film, which was titled Half Ticket[126] and altered the script in a minor way to include certain nuances of the Marathi language, by changed the setting to Mumbai instead of Chennai.