Lavanya Tripathi didn't know she was prone to seasickness till she began shooting for CV Kumar's Maayavan. An important portion of the film was shot in the middle of a rough sea. The motor boat she was on with Sundeep was apparently rocking dangerously, thanks to the massive waves.
“And that's when I began to throw up repeatedly, she says. “I've been on motor boats in Mumbai, but nothing could have prepared me for the traumatic experience I had that day. I threw up so many times that I became too weak to even shoot properly.”
The scene demanded that the hero, Sundeep Kishan, jump into the sea, while Lavanya stand up and say her lines.
“I survived with a few sips of fruit juice, and in between shots, I kept collapsing on the pile of nets placed by my side,” she says. And then things went from bad to worse. Owing to deep weather, the boat strayed further into the sea than originally planned. In fact, the Coast Guard shortly caught up with them and wanted to find out what they were up to. “The crew furnished necessary proof, while I lay slumped on the nets. I guess my weak state must have also aroused their suspicions on what was going on in the boat,” she says.
But the shooting wasn't all bad.
“While shooting one scene, I noticed some youngsters dancing for a kuthu number by the shore. I was quite confused as Maayavan isn't the sort of film that needed such a song,” says Lavanya.
An assistant director stepped in to ask Lavanya to join the dancers, who despite being confused, complied. “As I began dancing with them, the whole crew broke into laughter,” she says. “Sundeep had pulled a prank on me. I didn't know I was dancing with some random college students,” she laughs.