Evoking the plight of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in India, the film stars Rajkiran, Naveen Chandra and Rupa Manjari (in her final appearance), with music composed by N. R. Raghunanthan.

[1] The director then chose to rename the film as Sivappu (Red), revealing that the title also denotes themes of love, anger, poverty, violence and communism.

[2] Production began in August 2012, with Telugu actor Naveen Chandra and Rupa Manjari picked to play the lead pair.

Sathyaraj, Selva, Thambi Ramiah were also reported to be seen in pivotal roles, while cinematography was announced to be handled by Madhu Ambat, editing by Kasi Viswanath and music by C.

[citation needed] The film opened to average reviews, with critics lauding the actors' performances along with Madhu Ambat's cinematography while complaining about the unconvincing blend of romance, comedy and drama.