Location Diaries: Krishna — The art of being bad

Shooting for director Gautham Vasudev Menon's Joshua Imai Pol Kaakha was a dream come true for actor Krishna. "I have always wanted to do a negative role in a Gautham Menon film. Somehow, his villains always stand out in memory, due to the way he creates them. So, when I got a call from him to play the villain in Joshua, it was a dream come true moment," says Krishna.

On his first day on the set, Krishna says he was excited but also a tad nervous, "I didn't know what exactly was expected from me. It was a travel sequence and I gave my shot. It went off smoothly but Gautham felt something was missing. I suggested that maybe I could redo it, chewing gum in the scene this time. He told me to try it out. That small addition lent a certain swag to the character and Gautham approved the shot. From then on, I chewed gum in all my scenes. I saw first-hand how instinctively he works, and is open to suggestions to enhance a scene."

Krishna observed how Gautham was able to bring his villain, Koti, to life, "He kept feeding me with every info of the gangster Koti, to the extent that I soon started behaving like Koti. He brought out a whole new dimension of me as an actor, which I never experienced before."

Interestingly enough, after a break in the schedule, when Krishna had trouble recalling certain traits of Koti, Gautham found a way out. "He constantly kept talking to me about Koti till I understood how Koti would react. I feel all actors strive to work with a director who brings out the character from within the actor, rather than turning the actor into the character. Thanks to Gautham, I could no longer see myself, only Koti."

As the shoot progressed, Krishna found himself learning more about the importance of subtle expressions and how to use his body language to his advantage. "It was very different from what I had done before."

Working on action scenes with ace stunt choreographer Yannick Ben was unforgettable. He says, "For one scene, four of us had to do an action sequence inside a car. It was extremely challenging. Movement was restricted due to space constraints and we had to be careful not to injure each other. But Yannick staged it in such a way that everyone was safe."

For another important action scene, Gautham suggested Krishna and Varun—who plays the protagonist in the film—do a two-day rehearsal before the actual shoot. "The practice helped us understand each other's body movements so there were no unexpected surprises. It helped us complete the shooting smoothly and much faster."

Gautham also sprung a surprise on Krishna one day. "I had to walk to a spot, talk to someone, then do a stunt with six fighters and then drive away. I was astonished when I overheard him tell cameraman Kathir to film it as a single shot! But its all credit to Gautham sir that he's able to extract the toughest performances so smoothly. The vibe he exudes fuels the performance of his actors and brings his characters to life."