Location Diaries: A buzzing experience - Riythvika for Aadhaar

Filming for the crime thriller Aadhaar took Riythvika to a construction site located in Chennai. "It was a night shoot and we began filming only after the workers had left. There was a large area reserved for workers to stay and that is where Karunas and I shot our scenes. It was my first experience of shooting at a real construction site," says Riythvika.

Dozens of junior artists playing construction workers filled the space for the shot. "It was a rainy season, so there was slush outside and the open area was filled with construction provisions like cement bags, sharp iron rods, debris and stones. Even the incomplete flooring was rough. So we had to be cautious not to injure ourselves during or after the shot."

Riythvika also noticed that the art department had arranged rows of beds with mosquito nets around. "As actors, we always carry mosquito repellent lotions and medicines to avoid scratches, insects and the like.  Yet, the mosquitoes began biting us despite all the precautions. I then realised the significance of mosquito nets on the set. Being a huge open area, the mosquitoes were more in number than usual. Moreover, even though the unit arranged large fans to keep them at bay, we were still bitten badly as we shot through the night!"

For another sequence, Riythvika shot on a hospital set, specially created inside a building. "Since I play a woman who has delivered a baby, the set was designed like a post-delivery general ward in a hospital. So there were rows of beds with women and babies in the long room. I could hear the gurgling and occasional cries of babies all around me."

Riythvika had a baby sleeping next to her for her shot. "Since I had the experience of taking care of my sister's baby and other kids in my family, it gave me the confidence to gently handle the baby for my shots."

Luckily for Riythvika, the baby's mother was also nearby. "Interestingly enough, the baby's real mother had given birth to twins. So, whenever the baby got a little restless, the mother, who was next to me on another bed, would quickly replace this baby with the twin for the shot. That way both babies were at peace and the shoot went on smoothly for two days."