Shooting for Silukkuvarpatti Singam was quite the balancing act for hero Vishnu Vishal. “I was shooting simultaneously for Ratchasan where I played a cop. In Silukkuvarpatti Singam too I play a policeman, but a constable. Both roles were very different; while one was serious, the other was lighthearted. I had to make an effort to not let the characteristics of one seep into the other,” he says.
But for Silukkuvarpatti Singam’s heroine, Regina Cassandra, the shooting literally involved a balancing act, on a cycle, which didn’t go so well. The lead pair were shooting the climax scenes. Regina was wearing a sari and precariously perched on the bar in front, with Vishnu manoeuvring the cycle behind her. For the action shot, stunt choreographer Vicki told him to apply brakes suddenly, lift the back wheel and flip into a turn, at a particular spot.
This proved easier said than done. “Since there were two of us on the bike when I did as he said, we lost balance and fell. Since Regina did not have anything to hold on to and both her legs were on one side of the bike, she was hurt and badly bruised.
We had to repeat the action nearly five times to get it right and we fell thrice,” says Vishnu. But though the director was worried, Regina did not make a fuss and continued with the shoot till they got it right. “It was only the next day that she showed us the bruises and blood clots on her arms and legs where the handlebar had pierced her, with the weight of the cycle adding to her pain. I really felt bad for her but admired her sporting spirit and professionalism.”