Minsara Kanavu (1997)

Interesting facts

Minsara Kanavu is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language musical romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Rajiv Menon. The film stars Arvind Swamy, Prabhu Deva, and Kajol in the lead roles. It revolves around Priya (Kajol), a convent student who wants to become a nun. Having returned to India from his studies overseas, Thomas (Swamy)—Priya's childhood friend—falls in love with her following their first meeting at her convent. With the help of hairstylist Deva, who is known for his ability to change women's minds, Thomas tries to dissuade Priya from her ambition but Deva instead falls in love with her himself.

Production

AVM Productions wanted to make a film commemorating their 50th anniversary in 1997. They wanted the film Minsara Kanavu, which was produced by M. Saravanan, M. Balasubramanian, and M. S. Guhan, to revolve around young people. Before choosing a director, the three producers approached Prabhu Deva to play the male lead and A. R. Rahman to compose the music.

Arvind Swamy was cast as Thomas, a non-resident Indian who, after returning from his studies abroad, meets and falls in love with his childhood friend Priya; he had earlier been Menon's replacement for the lead role in the 1992 film Roja. Menon's wife Latha suggested the Bollywood actor Kajol to play Priya, making Minsara Kanavu one of her only two appearances in Tamil cinema—the other being in Velaiilla Pattadhari 2 (2017).

Prabhu Deva, the first actor to be cast in the film, played the hairstylist Deva and also choreographed for the film. The producers chose Vikram to dub for him; Menon said they "wanted a new voice for Prabhu Deva". Nassar, playing the aspiring musician Guru, found the part fun and working in the film to be a "delightful experience". He described the character as high-spirited and added that "it was like, going through my youth again.

Venu and Ravi K. Chandran did the principal photography on Minsara Kanavu, and Chandran was credited with providing additional cinematography. Asked on his decision to not handle the cinematography, Menon said working as a director and cinematographer simultaneously could make him not "pay attention to both the departments equally".

Apollo Cancer Hospital-Chennai; in preparation, Menon interacted with several Christian priests. The song "Thanga Thamarai" was filmed at an artificial waterfall, "Mana Madurai" was shot at AVM Studio's outdoor space while the filming for "Poo Pookkum Osai" took place as AVM studios in Chennai and Ooty, Kullu, and Manali. Filming took between 70 and 75 days, and the footage was edited by Suresh Urs.

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