Yuvan Shankar Raja To Produce And Compose For Swineeth S Sukumar’s Debut Rom-Com 'Sweetheart'

On Sunday, it was announced that Yuvan Shankar Raja will produce and compose music for debutant director Swineeth S Sukumar’s romantic comedy, Sweetheart!, starring Rio Raj in the lead role. Swineeth, 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 he liked and told me to go ahead. Instead, he gave me a lot of space and always asked for my input. Even after composing something we liked, he would still ask if we could try more things. Of course, I’d say yes!”

What can one expect from the music in the film? “There are five songs with a contemporary vibe, similar to films like Pyaar Prema Kaadhal (2018). When I narrated the story to Yuvan sir, I explained the characters' feelings in each scene. We didn’t meet for a while after that, but when we did, 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-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 bonded. “Rio sir plays an animator in the film. Once he liked the script, we approached YSR Films.” When asked 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 faced unexpected difficulties, but interestingly, on some of those days, we got a better output than the scene on paper.” The director reveals that the film was shot in and around Chennai.

On why there is a dearth of rom-coms in Tamil cinema recently, he says, “I think it is because of market demand. Whenever there is demand, we’ve had successful rom-coms like 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 about his favorite work of Yuvan’s, Swineeth says, “Kattradhu Thamizh (2007).”