Director Mohan Raja, whose last Tamil film was Sivakarthikeyan-Fahadh Faasil's Velaikkaran, has opened up about how the 'Karuthavanlaam Galeejam' song came about. Speaking to Maathevan, the filmmaker said that the song was inspired by Michael Jackson's 'They Don't Care About Us'.

He said, "It is important to blend the messaging with the mass commercial aspects. If I didn't name the song 'Karuthavanlaam Galeejam', the message wouldn't have reached the audience even if the song was a fun one. I needed Michael Jackson's emotions from 'They Don't Care About Us' to convey the message clearly. The pop singer's anger is the inspiration behind the song, and that intense emotion was required for it. But at the same time there's a need for the lyric to be relatable, progressive and engaging."

Also starring Nayanthara, Sneha, and Prakash Raj in lead roles, Velaikkaran is a 2017 action thriller film. Mahesh Manjrekar, Sathish, Thambi Ramaiah, RJ Balaji, Vijay Vasanth, Robo Shankar and Rohini play supporting roles in the film. The film is based on a sales executive named Arivazhagan (Sivakarthikeyan) who fights against food adulteration committed by high-class companies.

The film was released on 22 December 2017 to positive reviews with praise for Sivakarthikeyan and Fahadh Faasil's performances, the story, the social message, and the screenplay. On the technical front, the film has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography by Ramji and editing by Ruben.

Mohan Raja last helmed Godfather, the Telugu remake of Mohanlal's Lucifer, starring Chiranjeevi and Salman Khan in lead roles. A sequel for his hit 2015 film, Thani Oruvan, was announced, but production for the same is yet to commence.