On a high post, the recently released Yamirikku Bayamey (YB), where his performance was appreciated, actor Karunakaran is all smiles. He has an impressive line-up of eight projects currently, each with a different kind of role and the variety is keeping him excited. His next film, the Jiiva starrer Yaan, the debut direction of Bollywood cameraman Ravi K Chandran, is having its audio launch today. Karuna as he’s popularly known, reveals to CE why shooting for the film was such a special experience.
“My character is based in Morocco,” reveals the actor who plays a taxi driver. “I was thrilled since I had a whole 15-day schedule in the exotic locales of Morocco. After doing 11 movies, Yaan was my first shoot in a foreign country!” he says happily. The shoot turned out to be even more special for another reason. “Gopi, our cameraman, had fractured his leg during the Morocco schedule. Since he didn’t want the dates wasted, Ravi K Chandran himself decided to crank the camera. I was thrilled that my first shot in Yaan was by Ravi sir himself!”
Karuna is all praise for Ravi’s skills, “Ravi sir uses the camera like a gun! No matter how you falter, he just keeps shooting accurately without missing his target, and manages to get the right angles and shots. I experienced this first hand.” He narrates an incident, “I’m already one of the worst drivers and additionally having to drive a left handed vehicle, made things worse. I could barely manage to keep to the right markings while driving. But despite that, even if I moved wrongly, Ravi sir got my shots right, making up for any flaws.”
Karuna has done some hi- octane action scenes involving car chases. “As a director, Ravi sir is very concerned about the welfare of his artistes and avoids unnecessary risks to them. Before the stunt scenes he would explain things clearly and make sure we got the safety instructions right,” recalls Karuna.
Karuna managed to explore the city though language problems proved a dampener. “They speak mostly French, Arabic and Spanish, so communication was tough! I almost missed my flight because I couldn’t follow the flight announcements in French.” he says laughing. However, one factor contributed greatly to bonding with locals, “When we landed, at the immigration, the officers looked at our Indian passports and immediately asked, ‘You are from India? We love Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan.’ I encountered this comment almost everywhere. These two stars have created a lasting impression in their hearts.”
Karuna’s line up of films included Jigarthanda, Nanbenda, Kanithan, Kappal, Mahabalipuram, AdamaJ aichoma Da and Aindham Thalaimura Siddha Vaidhya Sigamani. Each film is currently in various stages of production, and Karuna has his hands full. “ I’m getting to do every kind of role possible. I don’t want to restrict myself to negative or positive roles. Each director I’ve worked with has shaped my potential according to his script. I want to continue my dream run.”