The film stars Vijay Sethupathi and Nayanthara, with Parthiban, Radhika Sarathkumar, RJ Balaji, and Anandaraj in supporting roles.

The music was composed by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography was handled by George C. Williams, and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad.

Despite being an inspector's son, he grows up being friendly with criminals and upon reaching adulthood, unbeknownst to his mother, he becomes a thug, though an incompetent one.

Pandi soon learns that Ravikumar was killed by Killi the same night he met Kadhu, but hides the fact from her so as not to upset her.

[6][7] Vignesh revealed that the film would be based on a 19-year-old youngster caught in the midst of a gang setting and noted he hoped to shoot in Mumbai, Chennai, and Puducherry.

[8] Lavanya Tripathi was cast as the lead actress opposite Gautham Karthik, when the project was under Menon's control.

[9] Vignesh has stated that Anirudh was his first choice for the lead role, but he decided against casting him to avoid distracting him from music, his "greatest passion".

[11] Sethupathi stated that he had put on weight for some of his recent roles, so he worked hard for two months to shed those pounds.

[12] Sethupathi's son Surya made his acting debut in the film, portraying the younger version of his father's character.

Other singers on the album include Neeti Mohan, Benny Dayal, Sid Sriram, and Sean Roldan.

[29] Naanum Rowdy Dhaan was published to audiences outside India by Herotalkies on 15 November 2015, through their online film streaming portal.

[31] Sify wrote, "Vignesh Sivan's Naanum Rowdy Dhaan (NRD) is a feel-good laugh riot, a perfect movie to hang out with friends.

[32] S. Saraswathi of Rediff.com gave it 3.5 out of 5 and stated, "Simple, sweet and uncomplicated, Naanum Rowdy Dhaan is a refreshing romantic comedy that deserves a watch".

[34] Mike McCahill of The Guardian gave it 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Despite some rough edges and missed opportunities, Vignesh Shivan delivers a well-written, likably played film where every element feels integrated and thought through".

The same production house attracted protests when they produced their first Tamil film, Kaththi (2014), for the same reasons, and were forced to remove their name from promotional material.

[46] A scene where Nayanthara is seen buying beer from a liquor store went viral on social media before the film's release.

The political party Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK) opposed the scene and demanded that it be deleted, otherwise during its launch, they would protest the film and Nayanthara.

After Nayanthara released a statement saying it was just a scene in a film, her effigy was publicly burned by Hindu Munnani in February 2015.