At the pre-release event of Kadhal Reset Repeat, composer Harris Jayaraj reflected on belief, structure, and the invisible force that makes a film work.
Tracing his journey back to 1999, Harris recalled meeting director Gautham Vasudev Menon through cinematographer R D Rajasekhar for an advertisement. “Later, in 2000, the work on Minnale began. At that time, the hero Madhavan was new. Alaipayuthey had not yet been released. Reema Sen was a new heroine. The director was new… the cameraman was new… I was new too. The only star of that film was producer Murali Manohar, who had earlier produced Jeans,” he said.
What Minnale taught him, he explained, was the power of a strong foundation. “Once a story structure is set, it doesn’t need any stars. It brings out the best work from everyone. It makes all of them big technicians. It can make ordinary actors look like extraordinary performers.”
He contrasted this with projects that lack narrative strength. “Even if you bring together big artists and big technicians, if they work on a weak story, everything will disappear. A story is a structure. For every film, that structure changes. There may be brilliant artists involved, but if there is no proper structure, it simply won’t sit well,” he observed. “I kept analysing what drives a film. I realised that it is courageous belief that drives it.” Calling it positivity, he added, “When we start something believing it will succeed, that belief unites everyone and pulls audiences into theatres.”
Harris also spoke about nurturing fresh talent. “In Minnale, I introduced new singers. So far, I have introduced 64 new singers. Gayathri Raja is the 65th. I am happy that all of them are doing well,” he shared. “I have composed music for 12 new heroes. That is something I’m proud of. Not only in Tamil, but even in Telugu, my music has helped them become popular.”
For Kadhal Reset Repeat, he revealed that the music was deeply embedded in the writing process. “Director AL Vijay wrote this story keeping the music in mind. Accordingly, Madhan Karky worked very hard. We spent several months on each song,” he said. He also mentioned introducing Malayalam filmmaker Vineeth Sreenivasan as a singer in the film, continuing his tradition of spotlighting new voices.
Summing up his thoughts, Harris said, “When a good story, music, and meaningful lyrics come together, they roll out a grand red carpet. For audiences expecting quality entertainment, this film will be a fine entertainer. Beyond that, I thank director Vijay and the producers for creating a platform where all of us could come together and work wholeheartedly.”
Kadhal Reset Repeat stars Madumkesh, Jiya Shankar and Arjun Ashokan in the lead roles, with the former two making their debuts. On the technical front, the film also features cinematography by Arvind Krishna and editing by Anthony. The story is by A Mahadev and Vijay, with the screenplay penned by A Mahadev and dialogues written by Vijay. Sunny Denvi is producing the film, with Prabha Premkumar serving as co-producer under the banners D Studios and Denvi Productions. The film is all set to hit theatres on March 6.
