

The excessive use of "Tanglish" in the song, symbolic of the degradation of the Tamil Language caused Sri Lankan singer S.J. In April 2012, a petition was filed in the Kerala High Court seeking a ban on the song citing negative influence on children, claiming to inciting violence and aggression. Javed Akhtar, a poet, lyricist and scriptwriter slammed the song for its insult to sensibility. The video featured Dhanush and Sunder Ramu along with other extras singing the song, while Shruti Haasan makes an appearance towards the end of the video. The video of the song in the film, 3, was filmed in a set made to replicate the crowded shopping street of Chennai Marina beach. The video was recorded by Abinandhan Ramanujam His co-star Shruti Haasan and the director of 3, Aishwarya Rajinikanth are seen listening in the background. The music video features Dhanush singing the song at AM studios, accompanied by composer Anirudh on a keyboard. Dhanush has stated that the choice of words allows it to be a very relatable song. The words have been described as "nonsensical" by some and an evocation of "Tamil street humour". While singing, Dhanush creates a tone of being drunk, when he repeatedly asks why she hurt him. The song creates an imagery of an Indian boy who has gone through love failure.

The words of the song are in a simple form of Tanglish, a mixture of Tamil and English. The composer added a crescendo to make the instrumentation become more layered. The instruments utilize the singing style of Tamil folk culture. He used the nadaswaram, shehnai, saxophone urumee and thavil drums, acoustic guitar, keyboards mixed with electronic synths and scratches. A downtempo song, "Why This Kolaveri Di" has been built around an ancient south Indian folk rhythm using ancient folk instruments.
