CHENNAI : Actor Aadhi, who worked with Arivazhagan for the 2009 film 'Eeram', reveals that reuniting with the director for 'Sabdham' felt like a homecoming.
“Each day on 'Sabdham' sets was like a reunion party for me. Since I was working again with Arivazhagan sir and co-director Kumar, who had been the first assistant director for 'Eeram', communication was very smooth due to our long association. We both understood each other perfectly, which made working together such a pleasure. The new friend to join our group was our cinematographer Arun Bathmanabhan. We all were working passionately for the project but it felt like fun because of the camaraderie on sets,” says Aadhi.
Thanks to Arun, Aadhi even felt like a part of the camera department, “One day, I was sitting inside a car for a shot. A lot of lights were placed near me. Since the camera was far away, Arun requested me to control the lights inside. Since I had to travel all through the film in that car, soon Arun got used to it and expected me to switch on and switch off the lights every time. Soon, I was even holding thermocoal sheets and bouncers in the cramped space for the camera crew. I just loved the whole experience. I even joked that my name should be included in the camera team in the credits,” laughs Aadhi.
But it wasn’t all fun and games for Aadhi. For one part of the shoot, the actor had to travel to Mumbai. “We needed to shoot at a particular location there but the shots demanded a winter look. So, in the sultry, humid Mumbai weather, I had to dress in three layers of woollens, with machines pumping smoke around me, to give the effect of foggy mist on screen. In reality, I was sweating profusely, but had to perform and emote, and act like I was feeling cold,” recalls Aadhi.
"Working with Lakshmi Menon for the first time, was a different experience, She is a very chilled-out person and was very friendly, which made working together very easy. She was brilliant on camera.” The actor also goes on to praise his other co-stars Simran and Laila, “They bring so much of grace on screen with their presence. Nobody else could have pulled off their roles the way they did. It was an absolute honour working with them.”
Rajiv Menon, who plays a role in the film, arrived on the sets one day, which made Arun anxious, reveals Aadhi. “Since Rajiv sir is a senior cinematographer, I noticed Arun was hesitant to give instructions to him to turn for camera focus or to face the light. But Rajiv sir understood his hesitation and made it very comfy for Arun by asking where he should stand or move to. Arun later appreciated how Rajiv sir had made things easy for him.”
Aadhi states that being a horror fan, he is also looking forward to 'Sabdham'. “A pure horror film like 'Sabdham' with good sound, VFX and visuals is best watched in a theatre. 'Sabdham' is a well-made, well-scripted horror film, which fans will find very interesting. I love the adrenaline rush a horror film gives and I’m looking forward to fans’ reaction to 'Sabdham',” he signs off.
Location diaries
This weekly column details the fascinating encounters that often take place on the sets of a film