Reception
Prashanth Vallavan of Cinema Express rated the film 1.5/5 stars, writing that though the director "hopes that you would be moved enough by the very real issue shown, the making ends up being shoddy". He said the film "doesn't even work as a competent PSA", felt Arulnithi was "largely confused-looking" and called Krithika the "standout performer" but criticised Arav's "wooden" performance which was "devoid of any understanding of his character's interiority". Abhinav Subramanian of The Times of India rated the film 3/5 and wrote, "Set in an era before the internet reached everyone, when ignorance was easiest to exploit, the film's argument for education holds just as firmly today. Arulvaan is a message film first and a movie second, and it never hides the order of its priorities". Manivasagam Namasivayam of DT Next appreciated the director for narrating the story with "remarkable sensitivity and authenticity" and Sukumar's cinematography. He concluded, "Anchored by strong performances and beautiful visuals, it is a film that reminds us that education remains the most powerful tool for change".
Cinema Vikatan commended the performances of Krithika and Pandian, especially the former's attempt at the Kadar dialect, but felt Arav was impressive only in fight scenes, John Vijay's performance was artificial and Arulnithi holds the entire film together. The critic was also felt the cinematography and editing could have been somewhat better. Nakkheeran lauded the performances of Arulnithi and Krithika, along with the cinematography and background score but felt Pandian was underutilised, the pacing in the second half was slow and the songs were only okay. Dinakaran lauded virtually every aspect of the film from cast performances to the cinematography and editing. Rakesh Thara of ABP Nadu too appreciated these aspects but felt the film's first half was slow-paced and some scenes were predictable. Sennimalai C. B. Senthilkumar of Kalki Online appreciated the story, majority of cast performances, cinematography and music but criticised John Vijay's performance and noted there were some logical mistakes. Virakesari rated the film 2/5, and despite praising Krithika's performance, the cinematography and music, felt it was more like a documentary or propaganda film.
