Minsara Kanavu

Minsara Kanavu (Template:Translation) 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 her Tamil debut), and 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 (Prabhu Deva), who is known for his ability to change woman's minds, Thomas tries to dissuade Priya from her ambition but Deva instead falls in love with her.

AVM Productions wanted to make a film to celebrate their golden jubilee in 1997. The project, which would be titled Minsara Kanavu, was produced by M. Saravanan, M. Balasubramanian, and M. S. Guhan. Menon responded to an advertisement for a director and cinematographer, and made his directorial debut with the film. Venu and Ravi K. Chandran completed the principal photography, and Prabhu Deva choreographed the film. A. R. Rahman composed the soundtrack, which received positive reviews, and the songs "Mana Madurai", "Strawberry", "Thanga Thamarai", and "Vennilave" became popular.

Minsara Kanavu premiered on 14 January 1997 during the Pongal festival and ran in theatres for over 175 days. The film was a commercial success in Tamil Nadu, though it initially opened to mediocre box-office earnings, but its dubbed versions performed poorly in North India and Telugu states.Template:Sfn Critical reception to the film was mixed-to-positive; the plot, the cast's performances—particularly that of the lead actors—the screenplay, the cinematography, and the soundtrack were praised. The film won several accolades, including two Cinema Express Awards, one Filmfare Awards South, four National Film Awards, one Screen Awards, and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

Plot

Priya is a student at Lawrence School, Ooty. She is known for her friendly, and precocious nature. Since childhood Priya is interested in singing, and attending church. Priya's father Amalraj is a widower and a clothing industrialist who expects Priya to look after Amalraj Garments, but her desire is to become a nun. Amalraj tries to stop this by unsuccessfully arranging a marriage for Priya. Thomas Thangadurai, a non-resident Indian, returns to his home town Ooty after earning his Ph.D. from Harvard to look after his father James Thangadurai's business. James, a former associate of Amalraj, had set up his clothing business opposite Amalraj's factory. Amalraj dislikes James due to his boorish and clumsy attitude, even though Thomas and Priya are childhood friends.

Priya, after several years as a Novice at the convent, unexpectedly meets Thomas, who is visiting his aunt, the Mother Superior of the Lawrence School. He takes Priya's help in surprising his aunt with a gift on her birthday, and falls in love with Priya but is unable to tell her. Thomas is shocked when he learns of Priya's ambition to become a nun; he approaches a hairstylist named Deva, who is known for his ability to change women's minds, to dissuade her. Deva is hesitant but accepts. Deva and his friend, a blind, aspiring musician named Guru, befriend Priya and persuade her to join their music troupe. Priya's singing talent helps the troupe gain recognition and they are approached to audition for a film. Deva, Guru, and the rest of the troupe play tricks to make Priya fall in love with Thomas. Deva soon realises that he is also falling in love with Priya.

Complications arise when Priya reciprocates Deva's love and Thomas, with the help of Deva, declares his love to Priya. Priya finds out about Deva's reason for his association with her and, feeling betrayed, decides to return to the convent to undergo Novitiate. She quits the music troupe in Chennai and leaves. Deva tries to persuade Priya to remain with the troupe but he gets into a serious accident and falls into a coma. Priya undergoes the training but cannot forget Deva. Deva recovers from his coma and is visited by Thomas, who is disappointed that Priya cannot be with her but realises that Deva and Priya are meant for each other. Thomas rushes to the convent on the day Priya is to become a nun and, with the help of the Mother Superior, changes her mind and persuades her to marry Deva.

Thomas, now a priest, baptizes the daughter of Deva and Priya, who are married. Deva is looking after his father-in-law's business and Priya is working as a full-time singer. Guru has become a renowned music composer but is facing charges of plagiarism; James redistributes his wealth to everyone.

Production

Development

AVM Productions wanted to make a film commemorating their 50th anniversary in 1997.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn They wanted the film Minsara Kanavu, which was produced by M. Saravanan, M. Balasubramanian, and M. S. Guhan, to revolve around young people.<ref name="Saravanan">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Rediffint" /> Before choosing a director, the three producers approached Prabhu Deva to play the male lead and A. R. Rahman to compose the music.Template:Sfn<ref name="kalki" /> Rahman suggested his friend Rajiv Menon, then an advertisement director and film cinematographer, to direct the project.<ref name="Rediffint" /> Menon thought about the offer for two months, saying he was not "mentally prepared" to direct a film. Initially reluctant,Template:Sfn he was persuaded to direct the project by Rahman and filmmaker Mani Ratnam, and so this became his directorial debut.<ref name="Rediffint">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Menon wrote Minsara KanavuTemplate:'s story, which is based on Robert Wise's 1965 film The Sound of Music;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> he also co-wrote the screenplay with V. C. Guhanathan in English.<ref name="BOI Cast" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Casting

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.<ref name="Screenint">Template:Cite news</ref> Menon's wife Latha suggested the Bollywood actor Kajol to play Priya,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> making Minsara Kanavu one of her only two appearances in Tamil cinema—the other being in Velaiilla Pattadhari 2 (2017).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He originally wanted Aishwarya Rai for the role but felt she was "too stylish" and that he wanted a woman "who looked Indian".<ref name="Screenint" /> He recommended her to Ratnam, who he thought was better than Rai; she would instead star in Ratnam's Iruvar (1997), her acting debut.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Madhuri Dixit was approached but she rejected the offer due to her busy schedule.<ref name="Screenint" /><ref name="Kajol">Template:Cite news</ref> Kajol said working on Minsara Kanavu was an "unforgettable experience", and that she was happy Menon gave her the part immediately after the other actresses rejected it.<ref name="Kajol" /> Kajol, a non-Tamil speaker,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> had her voice dubbed by Revathi.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Prabhu Deva, the first actor to be cast in the film, played the hairstylist Deva and also choreographed for the film.<ref name="Saravanan" /><ref name="Deva">Template:Cite news</ref> The producers chose Vikram to dub for him; Menon said they "wanted a new voice for Prabhu Deva".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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. Dancing, for instance—I never thought I could dance, but in this film I did it and loved it too."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Janaki Sabesh, who was later known for portraying mother roles, made her acting debut in Minsara Kanavu by playing a nun.<ref name="nun" /> S. P. Balasubrahmanyam was chosen to play Thomas' father James. In his obituary published by The Hindu in 2020, Menon said Balasubrahmanyam was "so enthusiastic and joyous on [the] set", noting that it was interesting to see him acting opposite Girish Karnad, who played Priya's father Amalraj.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Filming

Venu and Ravi K. Chandran did the principal photography on Minsara Kanavu,<ref name="Saravanan" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Chandran was credited with providing additional cinematography.<ref name="Prime" />Template:Rp 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".<ref name="Screenint" /> Menon even approached his mentor Ashok Mehta to handle the cinematography, but Mehta could not accept due to other commitments.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Saravanan's brother Palu's daughter Lakshmipriya, who had returned from her costume design studies in Singapore, designed the costumes.Template:Sfn Thota Tharani finished the art direction,<ref name="Saravanan" /><ref name="Deva" /> Vikram Dharma was the action choreographer,<ref name="Prime" />Template:Rp and Prabhu Deva, Farah Khan, and Saroj Khan did the dance choreography.<ref name="Prime" />Template:Rp Filming took place at Lawrence School, Lovedale, The Church of The Ascension, Lovedale, St. Andrew's Church, Chennai, and Apollo Cancer Hospital-Chennai;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in preparation, Menon interacted with several Christian priests.<ref name="Screenint" /> 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.<ref name="Saravanan" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Filming took between 70 and 75 days,<ref name="Kajol" /> and the footage was edited by Suresh Urs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Soundtrack

Minsara KanavuTemplate:'s soundtrack album includes six songs that were composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics by Vairamuthu.<ref name="AVDigital Tamil" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Recording of the tracks took place at Panchathan Record Inn. The film used different ragas (melodic modes) throughout the soundtrack, with the choral music being written in Sankarabharanam,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the song "Anbendra Mazhayile in Anandabhairavi.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In an interview with Frontline Balasubrahmanyam said of the recording session of "Thanga Thamarai": "[I]t required a tone that reflected the feelings of someone totally smitten and intoxicated by love. The character singing the song in the film is on a high after finding his girl." He said he tried to imitate the composer, who helped to record vocals for the singer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Rahman chose K. S. Chithra for the song "Mana Madurai", also known as "Ooh La La La". He advised Chithra not to sing as she usually does but to completely open her voice to sing the track.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> The re-edited version of the track was featured on the international musical Bombay Dreams.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The soundtrack album was released on 25 December 1996,<ref name="AVDigital Tamil">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> with the cast and crew attending the event and M. K. Stalin, the then-Mayor of Chennai, as the chief guest.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref><ref name="Saravanan" /> Lyrics for the dubbed-Telugu soundtrack were written by Vennelakanti.<ref name="Merupu Kalalu">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Javed Akhtar wrote lyrics for the Hindi version of the soundtrack and a new song titled "Teri Meri Baat" was added.<ref name="AVDigital Hindi">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Release

Minsara Kanavu was released on 14 January 1997 during the Pongal festivalTemplate:Efn released at the same time as Ratnam's Iruvar, with which it competed.Template:Sfn<ref name="Rediffint01">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On its opening, Minsara Kanavu drew mediocre box-office earnings but it was eventually a success after running for 216 days in Chennai.<ref name="Rediffint01" />Template:Sfn On 3 August 1997, an event was held to celebrate its silver jubilee.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn In order to celebrate the film's silver jubilee, AVM collaborated with 3 Roses tea brand and conducted a contest where audience who answered questions from the film will be travelling in a special train with cast and crew specially organized for the film's silver jubilee.<ref name="kalki">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Minsara KanavuTemplate:'s Telugu-dubbed version Merupu Kalalu, which was also released on 14 January, was a commercial disappointment.Template:Sfn Screen suggested the possibility of the film, whose themes are intended for youths, being rejected by youths themselves. The magazine also thought that this was due to the producers, who took "a gamble in acquiring the rights of the films without knowing anything of their story or content".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Minsara Kanavu was dubbed into Hindi as Sapnay, which premiered on 2 May 1997 and also failed commercially.<ref name="BOI Cast" /> The result of the Hindi version caused Menon to stop dubbing his films into that language.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Critical reception

Minsara Kanavu received mixed response from critics.<ref name="Screenint" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> S. R. of Kalki praised the film's cinematography and music but criticised the plot and found the climax tiring.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> K. N. Vijiyan, who reviewed the film for the New Straits Times, likened its plot with that of a Hollywood film, finding it to be "vaguely similar. But even so, it has been adapted well to suit Indian culture." Calling the film "good entertainment", he lauded its screenplay and Kajol's performance, adding that she was at her best when she is "her naughty self or belting out songs" such as "Maana Madurai".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Writing for The Indian Express, M. S. M. Desai was ambivalent about the Hindi dubbed version Sapnay, saying it is filled with many songs and dances that make "the pace of the narrative dull and drab".<ref name="Film review">Template:Cite news</ref>

Initial responses to the soundtrack were unfavourable; Desai said Rahman "fails miserably to come up with catchy numbers",<ref name="Film review" /> but reception improved in the 21st century. The songs "Mana Madurai",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "Strawberry",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "Thanga Thamarai",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and "Vennilave" became popular.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Accolades

Award	Category	Recipient(s) and nominee(s)	Template:Abbr
Cinema Express Awards	Best Lyrics Writer	Template:Sort	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Best Cinematography	Template:Sort
Dinakaran Cinema Awards	Best Music Director	Template:Sort	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Filmfare Awards South	Best Music Director – Tamil	Template:Sort	Template:Sfn
National Film Awards	Best Music Direction	Template:Sort	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Sfn
	Best Male Playback Singer	Template:Sort for "Thanga Thamarai"
	Best Female Playback Singer	Template:Sort for "Mana Madurai"
	Best Choreography	Template:Sort for "Strawberry" and "Vennilave"
Screen Awards	Best Music – Tamil	Template:Sort	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards	Best Music Director	Template:Sort	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Best Male Playback Singer	Template:Sort for "Mana Madurai"
	Best Female Playback Singer	Template:Sort for "Poo Pookkum Oosai"

Bibliography

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book

External links

• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if:

 | title/{{#if: {{#invoke:ustring|match|1={{{id}}}|2=^tt}}
   | Template:Trim/
   | tt{{{id}}}/
   }}
 | {{#if: {{#property:P345|from=}}
   | title/Template:First word/
   | find?q=%5B%5B%3ATemplate%3APAGENAMEBASE%5D%5D&s=tt
   }}
 }}{{#ifeq: {{#invoke:If any equal|main|Q618779|Q67325957|Q33999|value=Template:Wikidata}} | yes 
     | {{#switch: Template:Wikidata 
       | Q618779 
       | Q67325957  = awards Awards for
       | Q33999  = fullcredits Full cast and crew of
       }}
   | {{#if: Template:Wikidata 
     | {{#switch: Template:Wikidata
       | Q63032896 
       | Q66763446  = fullcredits Full cast and crew of
       | Q107974527 
       | Q482994  = soundtrack Soundtrack of
       }}
     }}
   }} Template:Trim] at {{#if: | IMDb | IMDb }}Template:EditAtWikidata{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:IMDb title with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|showblankpositional=1| 1 | 2 | 3 | description | id | link_hide | qid | quotes | title }}{{#switch: {{#invoke:String2|matchAny|^tt.........|^tt.......|tt|.........|source={{{id}}}|plain=false}}| 1 | 3 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning| 4 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning}}{{#if:  {{#property:P345}} || Template:Preview warningTemplate:Main other }}{{#switch: Template:Wikidata 

| Q21191270 | Q21664088 | Q50062923 | Q50914552 | Q99079902 | Q123186929 | Q55422400 | Q61220733 = Template:Preview warning | Q3464665 = Template:Preview warning }}{{#ifeq: Template:Wikidata | Q21191270 | Template:Preview warning }}{{#if: | Template:WikidataCheck }}

• Template:Rotten Tomatoes