For director Saran’s Market Raja MBBS, in which he plays the lead, Arav had to report for shoot at a renowned college campus in the city. The classes were in session and the crew had to film in one part of the giant campus. After a few scenes had been shot without any hassle, around midday, Arav had to film a chase and fight sequence. The actor had to run behind some stunt men dressed as goons and beat them up. And he had to don a doctor’s white coat in the scene.
Apart from a helicam, all other cameras were hidden from view since they had to run over a wide area. Minutes into the chase, a few alarmed security personnel noticed the fighting and came running to stop Arav and the stunt men. Soon, a large crowd of students gathered as well, all shouting at them and trying to stop what they thought was a serious fight.
“Nobody saw the hidden cameras so they all mistook me for a real doctor and were astounded that a doctor was beating up people on their campus! After a point, I stopped running since I recognised the mark where I had to stop. But the stunt men kept on running ahead with the helicam recording them. So they did not notice the crowds shouting at me,” says Arav.
The unit had not realised that it was lunchtime and so students had come out of their classes, which led to them noticing the fight. A few of them began to recognise Arav and word soon spread that it was a film shoot and not a real fight. After chatting with the actor and taking selfies, the excited crowd then dispersed with smiles all around. “But the whole incident was caught on our cameras, and since it was so natural, Saran sir has retained that scene in the film,” he concludes.