Nandita Swetha was thrilled when she landed in Mauritius for the shoot of Devi 2, directed by Vijay. In the film, the actor gets to dance for two songs with her dancing idol, Prabhudheva.
Nandita began preparing for the song shoot with day-long rehearsals with Prabhudheva, who was also choreographing the songs. But halfway through rehearsals, things began to go wrong.
“I had a previous ligament tear in one leg. As it was getting strained, I was putting more weight on the other leg. Due to the constant pressure, I started getting cramps in the other leg. Before I knew it, both my legs just refused to move,” she recalls. Director Vijay came to her aid and immediately saw to it that she got medical attention.
But later, in her hotel room she spent some anxious moments in tears, worried that she might lose her much-awaited chance of dancing alongside Prabhudheva.
However, at the shoot the next morning, a surprise awaited her.
“Prabhudheva had noticed what had happened. He and director Vijay decided to change the steps so that I could manage them without straining my legs. It was such a sweet gesture on their part! I was completely overwhelmed,” says Nandita, who was able to complete the song shoot in five days.
The shoot also had its lighter, more enjoyable moments, she tells us.
“Prabhudheva sir is a real foodie. He brought so many types of pickles, chutneys and powders with him from India that we all had with lavish helpings of rice and ghee. Director Vijay would make sure we were well fed. In fact, I put on weight by the end of the Mautitius schedule!”