On Sunday, it was announced that Yuvan Shankar Raja is all set to produce and compose music for debutant director Swineeth S Sukumar’s romantic comedy, Sweetheart!, starring Rio Raj in the lead role. Swineeth, who confesses to being a die-hard Yuvan fan, says it is a dream come true to have his idol produce his debut film.
“As the producer, he could have easily chosen five songs that he liked and told me to go ahead. Instead, he gave me a lot of space and always asked what I wanted from my side. Several times, even after composing something we liked, he would still ask if we could try more things. Of course, I’d say yes!”
So, what can one expect from the music in the film? “There are five songs, and it has a contemporary vibe similar to films like Pyaar Prema Kaadhal (2018). When I narrated the story to Yuvan sir, I explained what the characters would be feeling in each scene, and then we didn’t meet for a while. The next time we sat together, I was surprised to see him remember every little detail. He has given a very fresh sound for Sweetheart!”
After working in an IT job for a few years post his graduation, Swineeth decided to pursue his cinema dreams and worked as an assistant director in Rio Raj’s debut film, Nenjamundu Nermaiyundu Odu Raja (2019). It was on the sets of Nenjamundu.. where they would bond. “Rio sir plays an animator in the film. Once he liked the script, we approached YSR Films.” When asked about why Yuvan chose to produce the film, the director says, “Funnily enough, I never asked him. It is probably the mood of the film and the fact that he often supports new talent.”
As a first-timer, Swineeth says there were times when translating his script to the scenes was challenging. “There were days when we had unexpected difficulties, but interestingly, during some of those days, we got a better output than the scene on paper.” The director goes on to reveal that the film was shot in and around Chennai.
On why there is a dearth of rom-coms in Tamil in recent times, he says, “I think it is because of market demand. Whenever there is demand, we’ve gotten successful rom-coms, such as O Kadhal Kanmani (2015), Pyaar Prema Kaadhal (2018), Oh My Kadavule (2020), and Love Today (2022).” Speaking about the progress of his film, Swineeth says, “The shoot is almost over; we just have some song portions remaining. Once that is done, we will release the film soon.” Before signing off, when asked what his favourite work of Yuvan’s is, Swineeth says, “Kattradhu Thamizh (2007).”