Location Diaries: Few laughs and an injury

Gautham Karthik claims to have had a tough time shooting for Hara Hara Mahadevaki. But it’s not for the usual reasons. The movie has a whole host of comedians, including Manobala, Motta Rajendran, Bala Saravanan, Karunakaran, and Sathish. "It was so hard not to burst out laughing during shooting. I’m sure we lost a lot of productive hours because the camaraderie was such that we were constantly laughing!" says Gautham.
 
A giant set was put together at the EVP Film City for the main theme song of the film. Gautham was raring to go, having practised well. The choreographer was Sheriff master. But this was a song with a difference. His main co-dancers were Motta Rajendran and Manobala. "They both have two left feet, but they sportingly agreed to dance. They were self-conscious of their movements, especially because of the female background dancers from Mumbai who were also dancing with us. There were quite a few moments when we all bumped into each other and goofed up. It’s probably the most entertaining day I’ve had on the sets of a film," he laughs.
 
But it wasn't all fun and frolic. There were some tense moments when Gautham injured himself on location. He was shooting in a bylane of Chennai for a song shoot, with the choreographer, Baba Bhasker, being a taskmaster. Gautham says he tried very hard to impress him. So vigorous were his dance moves that he apparently ended up stirring up an old leg injury. “Suddenly I realised I couldn’t move my left leg at all.” He was immediately rushed to the hospital and received medication for several hours. "When I was better, I returned to complete the Bigulu Bigulu number. Strangely, after the medication, I performed with more energy," he laughs.
 
Hara Hara Mahadevaki, co-starring Nikki Galrani, is releasing this week