Meanwhile, Siva and Mani, who are following the group, divert to a wine shop, where they discuss Meena's fidelity and speculate that she might be pregnant, which they believe explains her adamant desire to marry the boy she loves.

The seer performs rituals, including stroking the girl's navel, and neck, and blowing air into her mouth, claiming to have removed tiny voodoo balls and freed her from the spell.

In January 2023, Sivakarthikeyan was announced to fund a new project under SK Productions, starring Soori in the lead role with PS Vinothraj directing it in his sophomore film after Pebbles (2021).

[10] Praising the direction and the performances of the lead actors, Latha Srinivasan of Hindustan Times wrote,"PS Vinothraj is a master storyteller, who has supreme control over his craft and the characters he presents to us on screen.

"[11] Gopinath Rajendran in his review for The Hindu wrote, "Apart from an intriguing plot accented by a terrific supporting cast, it is Anna Ben and Soori’s career-best performances that elevate Kottukkaali into one of this year’s best films.

Both their characters have to carry the burden of resentment and exasperation, a product of multiple quarrels that would have unfolded before the film’s happenings, which explains the wrath of Pandi and why Meena is the ‘kottukkaali’, the adamant one.

With just one piece of dialogue in the entire film, Anna pulls off the steadfast nature and unwavering spirit of Meena admirably; Vinothraj shows how she always has a way of getting things to work, with a quick shot of her loose ring that’s made to fit by looping a little thread through it.

It would have been an obvious directorial ploy to have you react one way or another, but in its present form, Kottukkaali simply takes your hand and walks you around for a few hours with the family of Pandi and Meena—without telling you how you ought to feel.

"[13] Bharathy Singaravel of The News Minute gave a positive review writing,"Apart from a few small hiccups, Kottukkaali takes audiences on a winding ride across the arid fields and dusty highways of Madurai towards another more pressing destination: introspection regarding words like ‘culture’ or ‘community’ and what they mean apart from power.

[16] Sajesh Mohan of Onmanorama in his Cinema Analysis column, Cinemascape, wrote: Anna Ben's portrayal of Meena stands out, capturing the character's resilience and emotional depth.

Moments of silent defiance, such as her contemplative gaze at a rooster symbolizing her lover's plight, powerfully underscore the film’s themes of love, honor, and societal hypocrisy.