While shooting a song sequence for her upcoming film, Email, actor Ragini Dwivedi had to film on beaches near Chennai and Puducherry. “I just love beaches, so I was thrilled about shooting on the seashore. But I quickly discovered that shooting on a beach is very different from just relaxing on it,” says Ragini.
Shooting for long hours in the intense heat and under the strong sun took its toll on the actors. As the shoot progressed, it suddenly started raining. While the actors thought they could take a break, the choreographer quickly improvised and used the downpour by including it in the song.
However, filming in the rain brought a different set of woes. “We were shooting in a stretch near the backwaters, on an island, with the sea on one side and a lake on the other. When it began pouring, the 40-odd crew members could only find a couple of canopies for shelter. They could barely fit into the canopies but they somehow managed.”
On top of the rain, Ragini also had to face a different hurdle. The actor had to run barefoot on the beach in the midst of the heavy downpour for her shots. “The sand was grainy with tiny stones and seashells scraping my soles as I ran.”
She also had to roll on the sand for one part of the song. “Since I was wearing a short dress, all the rolling in the grainy wet sands, left me completely bruised all over. I had to repeat it all several times, for slow motion and close-up takes as well. I’m sure the song will look great on the screen but shooting it was no easy task,” she says.
For another part of the shoot, Ragini shot several stunt sequences in an abandoned factory in Bengaluru. “Because its been shut for a long time, there were layers of thick dust all over. So when we used propellers and fans and began the fight sequences, the fine dust started flying all over.” Added to this, was the smell of petroleum, which was used for pyrotechniques involved in the fight sequences.
“The smoke hit my throat and affected my voice. Inhaling that thick dust set off a severe allergic reaction, causing my face to get swollen.”
Ragini managed to complete the 3-day shoot by taking anti-allergy medication. “But after that I needed to take a short break to breathe fresh air and recuperate fully. The action shoot turned out to be a most memorable one,” she signs off.