Location Diaries: Kishen Das —First of many

Young actor Kishen Das had a unique experience shooting for Singapore Saloon with RJ Balaji, Sathyaraj, Lal, Meenakshi Choudhary, and others.

"I had shot my previous films Mudhal Nee Mudivum Nee and Sync, only in live locations. So this was my first time at a set and it was a very different experience, " says Kishen Das.

Giant sets resembling a luxury saloon were created in a school playground for the film. "Right from the furniture down to the magazines for visitors, everything was completely functional and real. Another unique aspect was the lighting. The saloon's lights were placed in such a way,  that when shooting, the spotlights could be turned around by cameraman Sukumar sir. By following this method the shot was already half-lit. That was very interesting."

Outside the saloon, there was also a set of a giant slum and other facilities where a major portion was shot. "Even that was so authentic.  Because I had always seen cinema from a distance, actually walking into a set like that was an unforgettable experience."

Kishen felt a bit nervous when he first met seniors like Sathyaraj and actor Lal. "I first spotted Sathyaraj sir sitting in one of the alleys on the set. I was shivering and couldn't muster the courage to speak to him.  It was only RJ Balaji who told me not to feel nervous and introduced me." However, he met Lal only during the shot, "Usually we get to speak to co-actors during a rehearsal. But that didn't happen here. We met each other as characters. Surprisingly, that added to the cinematic moment on screen. While watching him in the shot, it felt like I was watching a film, except that I happened to be in it!"

He goes on to share about his first meet with Balaji, "I met him during a photo shoot on another set. I've only heard him on the radio earlier, so it was surreal doing an actual fun photo shoot with him!"

Kishan adds that the entire process became informal because of Balaji. "He would sing, chat, and joke with everyone using a megaphone. For me, that was so new because I thought working in such a big film with a stellar cast would be a very serious affair!"

Kishen had his first experience shooting with green mat and VFX, thanks to Singapore Saloon."There was another giant apartment set, in which I had several green mat scenes. It was challenging, learning how to position yourself, emote, and look in the right direction for such portions."

He also became good friends with heroine Meenakshi Choudhary on sets, "She was very meticulous about her dialogues. So, whenever any impromptu changes were made on set and if there was no assistant director around, she would seek my help with the lines, as she didn't know the language. After the shoot whenever her flight was delayed, we would go to Saravana Bhavan for a quick bite. This entire shoot has been an unforgettable one for me in every way!"