Vineeth was signed on to play another lead role in the film due to his association with Kunjumon, having previously worked in the 1993 Shankar-directed film, Gentleman. Kunjumon asking him to come over for a screen test as a result of Kathir's insistence. A year later, Abbas received a call from producer K. Initially reluctant due to his limited knowledge of Tamil, he opted out and left for his college in Mumbai. Mumbai model Abbas was enjoying his holidays in Bangalore during his holidays and hanging out at a cybercafe near Brigade Road, when he bumped into director Kathir, who asked him to act in his Tamil film. He narrated a five-minute plot summary to Kunjumon who was impressed with it and insisted Kathir to change the film's title to Kadhal Desam instead of its original title Kalloori Saalai. Kathir while writing the script 'wanted some drama rather than plain love and so wrote a story of warring colleges and two boys in them'. Hence the film ends with Arun and Karthik regaining their friendship. At the end, Divya says that she likes them both but does not want to choose one, thereby losing the other and disrupting their friendship. The end of the movie shows whether Divya will fall in love with one of them and whether their friendship will be affected forever. Following a sequence of events, when they realize that both are loving the same girl their friendship is strained and they fight with each other. Both Arun and Karthik fall in love with her, but neither of them realizes that both are in love with the same girl.

Things go smooth until a new girl Divya ( Tabu) joins the college. They become good friends, setting a good example of friendship to others in their college. Arun realizes that the victory is because of Karthik's sacrifice. So in return, Karthik lets Arun win in a soccer game because he thinks Arun can't take losses easily.

In a nasty intercollege riot, Arun saves Karthik's life. Arun ( Abbas), on the other hand, comes from a rich and wealthy family, studies in Loyola College, drives his own car, hangs out with number of friends, and is also the captain of his football team. He is also a good poet and daydreams about his dream girl.

Karthik ( Vineeth) is a poor orphan who studies in Pachaiyappa's College, lives in a rented room, travels by the bus, hangs out with a number of friends, and is the captain of his football team. In the city of Chennai, a traditional rivalry has always existed between the students of Pachaiyappa's and Loyola colleges.

Kadhal desam music review