Actor Priya Anand should have expected a laugh riot on the sets of the political satire, LKG, which stars well-known comedian RJ Balaji in the lead. On her shooting experience, she says, “This is the first time I have actually been intimidated by another actor. In every scene, Balaji would keep coming up with witty one-liners and funny expressions that it was impossible not to burst out laughing during the shoot. Never has someone made me laugh as much, and have me as distracted as Balaji. For the first few days, all I could do was not look him in the eye, while acting.”

Eventually, she found a solution. “During my close-ups, I made sure he would close his eyes. Just his look would make me laugh, as I’d know he’d go on to say something funny!” Even that solution, alas, didn’t work for long. “He would forget to close his eyes, and I’d start laughing,” she says. “I have worked with many chilled out people so far, but Balaji is just too funny by nature.”

Balaji didn’t have it all easy, supposedly. “We had to shoot a song directed by Vignesh Shivn in tourist spots like the crowded Chandni Chowk and other places in Delhi. Balaji got really tired shooting from early morning to late night at such crowded areas.” By the end of the song, he declared that he had had his fill of songs. “I then told him that he was lucky it was just a montage number and he at least didn’t have to do complicated dance steps before large crowds and face comments as I have in many films,” says Priya with a laugh.