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. Rahman suggested his friend Rajiv Menon, then an advertisement director and film cinematographer, to direct the project. Menon thought about the offer for two months, saying he was not "mentally prepared" to direct a film. Initially reluctant, he was persuaded to direct the project by Rahman and filmmaker Mani Ratnam, and so this became his directorial debut. Menon wrote Minsara Kanavu story, which is based on Robert Wise's 1965 film The Sound of Music; he also co-wrote the screenplay with V. C. Guhanathan in English. 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. 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). He originally wanted Aishwarya Rai for the role but felt she was "too stylish" and that he wanted a woman "who looked Indian". He recommended her to Ratnam, whom he thought was better than him; she would instead star in Ratnam's Iruvar (1997), her acting debut. Another actress, Madhuri Dixit, was chosen but she rejected the offer due to her busy acting schedule. Kajol said working on Minsara Kanavu was an "unforgettable experience", and that she was happy Menon gave her the part immediately after the earlier choices rejected it. Kajol, a non-Tamil speaker, had her voice dubbed by Revathi. Prabhu Deva, the first actor to be cast in the film, played the hairstylist Deva and also choreographed the film. The producers chose Vikram to dub 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. Dancing, for instance—I never thought I could dance, but in this film I did