Location Diaries: Sun of a gun

For Vikram Prabhu, who plays an encounter cop in Thuppakki Munai, shooting in the scenic Rameswaram was an unforgettable experience. "The town is beautiful and the beaches with their white sands are quite unique. The ocean surrounded the location we shot at for 32 days. But withstanding the harsh sunlight for long hours on the beaches was a totally new experience, and it took its toll on all of us," the actor recalls.

Quite used to outdoor shoots, he had taken a supply of SPF 50 sunscreen lotions with him. But it was no match for the sunlight there. Within a week, his skin started to tan rapidly. "My forearms took the worst of it. The skin would burn if I washed my hands with warm water. I couldn't use sunscreen on my face since it would show in white patches, because I didn't use make-up. The entire unit of 40 people bore the brunt of the scorching rays in the open. Everybody ran to buy SPF 70 sunscreen, but nothing seemed to work."

That wasn't the only problem Vikram Prabhu faced. Since the sunlight reflected on the white sands and bounced off the giant reflectors used for shooting, the actor couldn't keep his eyes open for the shots due to the harsh glare. "I kept squinting my eyes." So he devised a way to combat the issue. "Before the shot, I would close my eyes for a few minutes, then look up at the sky. This helped my eyes get accustomed to the harsh light, and I managed to complete the shoot."