Director Kumar Nagendran’s Gundello Godavari, based on the 80’s floods in Andhra Pradesh, is actor Aadhi’s latest film. Opening up to City Express, Aadhi says, “When I first heard the story, I felt it was impossible to shoot it, as it had a flood situation as its backdrop. But when Nagendran explained how he was going to implement it, I agreed immediately. I laud his guts to make such a film.”
Aadhi plays a simple village fisherman in the movie and his muscled look and rowing skills are drawing acclaim. “I wanted to get under the skin of the character, so I befriended a few fishermen during the shoot. But they were not opening up completely. So I spent time relaxing with them in the evenings, and, slowly, our long talks about their lives gave me a peek into their world. This helped me understand my character and emote well. I also changed my body language and speaking style to look like them. I had to bulk up with muscles and learn rowing from them,” says Aadhi.
Being well-prepared for the role was one thing, but swimming in the deep waters of the Godavari was quite another. “The water was deceptively still, but very deep at points. I can swim well, but I have a phobia for deep water. But I got over it for this film,” admits Aadhi.
At one point, he was alone in a locally-made boat, with the camera unit far above him on a bridge. “It was a risky shot, where I had to stand on the edge of the boat, which is an unstable hollowed log of wood. You have to use your body weight to stabilise it. There was no life-support gear nearby either. Later I heard several people had died at that very spot as the water is so deep there. I guess I had a narrow escape!” recalls Aadhi.
Aadhi teams up with actors Taapsee, Sundeep Kishan and the film’s producer and actor Lakshmi Manchu in this bilingual, whose Tamil version released in theatres this weekend.