[2] The story is set in a rural area around Madurai in the village called Paruthiyur, in 2005 which still practices caste segregation.

Paruthiveeran "Paruthi" is a country brash whose inter-caste parents were ostracized by the villagers since his upper-caste Agamudayar father married his lower-caste Kurava mother.

Paruthi's paternal cousin, Muththazhagu, is the daughter of his snobbish uncle, Kazhuvathevan Servai, who is a respected member of the village and a caste sectarian.

She promised to marry him and be by his side forever and starts to love him against her parents' will as they do not approve of Parututhi's inter-caste background.

The soundtrack album was released on 29 Decrember 2006 at Green Park Hotel in Chennai, with several prominent film personalities participating in the event, including fellow actor Vijay, who launched the audio.

It features vocals from Yuvan Shankar Raja's father Ilaiyaraaja, director Ameer himself and professional playback singers Shreya Ghoshal, Manikka Vinayagam and Madhumitha.

[16][17] Yuvan Shankar Raja received critical acclaim for his score, while the soundtrack album initially got mostly unfavorable reviews, being described as a "letdown" and "disappointment",[17][18] raising to question whether it could attract today's "modern" audience.

Baradwaj Rangan labelled it a "magnificently earthy score",[19] while Malathi Rangarajan noted that the composer "proves he is a chip off the old block in rustic music too".

[26] Sriram Iyer of Rediff gave the film three out of five stars, lauding it as a "remarkable effort" and claiming that Ameer "successfully brings alive the feel of the pastures".

Heaping praise on the director, the reviewer further adds that Ameer had "shown his class again" and "enhance[d] his reputation as a master craftsman".

[28] Russell Edwards of Variety cited, "rough production values are mitigated by a myriad of sophisticated cinematic techniques that show this is no boondocks effort.

Furthermore, he noted that Ameer's "creative helming, which includes split-screen, appears unbridled and sometimes outright chaotic, but always serves the script", while writing that performances were "consistent with the bombastic storytelling".

[29] A reviewer from nowrunning.com called the film a "gripping tale narrated with a skill and imagination which only directors like Amir are endowed with", rating it three out of five.

[30] Baradwaj Rangan called Paruthiveeran a "classic, one for the ages" and a "showcase for how good filmmaking can (almost) overcome mediocre material", while noting that Karthi gave "a superb first-film performance by any standard, and it makes you reach for that oldest of movie-myth cliches: A star is born.

"[31] However, in regards to the performances, the reviewer, too, heaped praise on the actors, describing Karthi as "spectacular" and Saravanan as "terrific" and adding that Priya Mani "... steals the show with her spontaneity and authenticity".

[31] Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu claimed that the film was "the genuine depiction of village life" that "transports you to the era of classics in a rustic ambience, Bharatiraaja style", further citing that "all the same, when graphic pictures of gang rape and killing in cold blood dominate, things becomes too much to stomach" and that Ameer "only creates the impression that village folks as a whole are a belligerent lot.

[34] The film continued to rank at first at the Chennai box office for five successive weeks,[35] being ousted only by the Hollywood production 300 during the Easter weekend.

Paruthiveeran was honoured with the "Special Mention" award from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival.