Location Diaries: Bharat Bopanna—A dream come true

For Kannada actor Bharath Bopanna, stepping into Kollywood with Arun Vijay's action film Mission Chapter 1, was a dream come true experience

Actor Bharath Bopanna, who is best known for Kannada films like Demo Piece (2020) and Vijayanand (2022), will be making his Tamil film debut with the Arun Vijay starrer Mission: Chapter 1. Talking about how he got into the project, Bharath says, "Though I have acted in several films in Kannada, it was always my dream to do a full-fledged action film. So when I got the call from director Vijay, to do my first negative role, that too opposite Arun Vijay sir, who is renowned for his action scenes, I was very excited."

He knew it was going to be extremely challenging on his first meeting with stunt choreographer Silva Master. The actor had to put on some weight to suit his body language in the film. Taking his prep very seriously, Bharath charted out a detailed diet plan.  He says, "I took expert opinion to chart out a proper diet plan. I decided to upgrade my fighting skills to suit the hi-octane stunts in the film. So I enlisted for different types of training for 30 days each in Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, where I trained under experts to enhance my fighting skills, back flips, jumps and kicks. Every day, I would send videos of my progress to Silva sir. I also rewatched Arun Vijay's stunts in films to understand his body language better."

On the first day of shoot, Silva Master was extremely satisfied with Bharath's progress, "He said that he had told me to just practice the basics, but I had learnt enough to take part in a National level gymnastics. I was thrilled. For me, the intense prep I did was important as it made me mentally confident to pull off my role with conviction."

His first shot was a major action portion in Chennai with Arun Vijay. "Knowing your co-star helps you navigate the stunts more easily. Arun Vijay sir was very gracious and made me feel very comfortable. Usually we practice the scene with fighters on set. But he himself volunteered to practice with me. That was very helpful and both of us adapted faster to each other's body language during falls, kicks and flips."

Bharath was deeply inspired by watching his co-star's dedication and perseverance. "He is extremely hardworking and always stays motivated to give his best. He already had a knee injury when we shot in London. Despite that, he did some very challenging stunts. I admired his energy levels and learnt a lot about the importance of perfect timing during stunts."

Bharath then goes on to laud how director Vijay extracted performance from his actors. "He had a detailed vision of the character which he would share with us. However, he would give us freedom to improvise. Sometimes he would enact expressions to help me fine-tune my character. Filming for Mission Chapter 1 has been a most cherished experience for me."