Location Diaries: Water woes

This weekly column details the fascinating encounters that take place on the sets of a film and this week it is Un Kadhal Irundhal
Location Diaries: Water woes

When Srikanth started shooting for director Hashim Marikar’s Un Kadhal Irundhal in Kochi, he didn’t realise the horror scenario unfolding around him. The unit was stationed in Kochi three days before the flood worsened in Kerala.

“We were shooting indoors when it started drizzling, and it didn’t affect our work,” says Srikanth. The following day, it was an outdoor shoot, and with the drizzling continuing, the team felt it was perfect for the setting of the scene they were shooting.

“Chandrika Ravi and I had to argue a little and she had to walk off. The rain started just when she stormed off; it felt dramatic that we continued with the shoot. I even added a line telling her to take my umbrella. The slight rains enhanced the drama in our scene. But we didn’t realise things would take a turn for the worse soon,” added the Rojakootam actor.

Srikanth recalls the tragedy that hit director Hashim’s village house. “He was worried about his house but refused to stop the shoot since the film was almost wrapped up. However, after we completed the shoot, we got the horrific news that his home had been washed away.”

Speaking about the director, Srikanth recalls another incident. “I had completed a lengthy shot of a long, emotional dialogue in just one take. It involved Chandrika, Maqbool Salman and three other actors, and I was very happy with the results,” says the actor who was apparently approached by Hashim a few days later with a request to re-shoot the scene. “He said the heroine’s costume was too dull and didn’t look good in the final outcome. I was worried how the re-take would shape up as everyone had done it perfectly the first time. But seeing his dedication, we re-shot the scene. Luckily, everything fell into place perfectly the second time too,” says Srikanth, who shares that the heavy floods in Kerala also washed away the house in which that scene was shot.

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