CHENNAI: A hero proposes to his girl, and the latter accepts. Cut to the picturesque beaches of Thailand, and both romance and dance around the white sandy coast line. Then back to their routine life in Chennai or elsewhere in India.
While Tamil films go international, both content and technique wise, choosing exotic locations is not a new trend. However, the latest craze of Kodambakkam is Thailand. Three big films — Ajith’s Mankatha, Suriya’s 7am Arivu with AR Murugadoss and Jeyam Ravi’s Aadhi Bhagavan with Ameer — have been shot in Thailand. While Ameer with his crew are in Thailand for the shoot, the crew of Mankatha and 7am Arivu have returned from Thailand recently.
Speaking to Expresso from Thailand, Neetu Chandra, the heroine of Aadhi Bhagavan says, “I love this place, and this is the first time I’m visiting Thailand for a shoot. I’m also enjoying the Pattaya Beach and the water sports here. It’s time for Tamil films to explore different parts of the world as per the demand of the script.”
Director Venkat Prabhu, visited Thailand recently to shoot a song for Mankatha, says, “We needed an indoor club to shoot a song for Mankatha. Since all the clubs in Chennai have been used, we decided to go to Thailand.” The director visited the country earlier to shoot two songs — Un Parvai and Oh Oh Ennanamo for Chennai 28.
The big question is, why does Thailand seem to be on every director’s list of favourites? Apparently it all comes down to the moolah, and as is expected, cost-cutting happens in film sets as well.
Venkat Prabhu shares,“ The cost of labour is also comparatively low. When we shoot in Ooty or in any other place in India, we take a heavy crew along with us. But when it comes to a foreign shoot, we’re restricted to take along 15 or 20.”
Another big film that’s in the making is Suriya’s 7 am Arivu. The film’s crew went to Thailand twice for the shooting. And Senthil Kumar, production executive, Red Giant Movies shares, “We erected a set in Thailand that resembled a Chinese landscape, and shot an important scene that was actually supposed to happen in China.” He also mentions that the stay is cheaper there, ranging from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 for a lower budget room to a more upmarket `6,000, per day for the stars.
With a number of Tamil films being shot in Thailand, audiences can look forward to some visual treats in the near future.