Location Diaries: Kanna Ravi — Of oceans and mountain

When shooting for director Prabhuram Vyas' debut film Lover, actor Kanna Ravi travelled to many scenic locations. "I usually never step out of Chennai except for shootings. But in Lover, I play an IT employee who is also a traveller. So, in keeping with the story I got to travel to several breathtaking locations that I've never been to before," says an excited Kanna.

Along with co-stars Manikanadan, Harish Kumar, Sri Gouri Priya, Nikhila Shankar and Harini, Kanna travelled to the West Coast. The first stop for shooting was at Gokarna, a scenic seaside town in Karnataka. "Gokarna was a most beautiful location from where you could see the ocean on one side and mountains on the other. The waters were gentle and quaint shacks lined the beach, it was a breathtaking site. Our first scene was a sunset shot on a rare blue moon day." After the shoot, the actors explored the narrow lanes of the scenic town on motorbikes.

Earlier, while travelling by road from Hubli to reach Gokarna, the unit had also filmed at tea shops and bridges along the Highway. "The shoot felt like a long, exhilarating drive with friends, so I had nothing to complain."

After a few days of shooting at Gokarna, the team proceeded to Chikkamagaluru by road. After reaching the city, the unit had to travel up a mountain in an open jeep in order to reach the top of a cliff. The location was a secluded private property. "Director Prabhuram and cameraman Shreyas Krishna had done a full recce of the entire route a month earlier and discovered these exotic locales," reveals Kanna. Once the open jeep reached the pinnacle, Kanna was mindblown by the sheer view from the cliff. "It was an unforgettable experience."

For the Chennai schedule, the cast had to shoot one segment at a surfing festival on the ECR. "We were told to learn surfing before the shoot. Surfing was something I always wanted to learn so I grabbed the opportunity and attended classes for 2 weeks."

The actual shoot turned out to be a lot more fun but also exhausting. "The surfing festival was a grand affair with cars parked for 2 km. It took time for us to find each other and reach the festival grounds." However, once they reached the spot, they had a rollicking time. "Sean Rolden, our music director, was performing at the concert there. We had a great time dancing in the fan pit near the stage. Filming was on, with candid shots of the stalls, the concert and all of us. It was great fun".

The exhausting part was when the actual surfing bits were shot. "Riding waves on the surfboard is no easy task. It takes dozens of tries before one can successfully ride a single wave. By the time I got back into my jeep after the shoot, I felt absolutely exhausted and drained."

Kanna is all praise for heroine Sri Gouri Priya, "She is very afraid of water. and yet, she learnt to surf and completed her shots successfully. Shooting for Lover felt like one long, extended unforgettable outing with friends," laughs Kanna.