Location Diaries: Shivada forTheera Kadhal—A shoot of many firsts

When shooting for director Rohin Venkatesan's Theera Kadhal, heroine Shivada had several new experiences and memories that she cherished.

" I have worked with  Rohin and Jai in Adhe Kangal, but this was my  first film with Aishwarya Rajesh," recalls Shivada.

The first day Aishwarya  arrived on sets, Shivada noticed how easily she communicated with everyone. "Though I know her socially, being a bit reserved as a person, I was wondering about how to slowly break the ice and  converse at work.  But Aishwarya just came directly to me and started chatting. She was equally warm and friendly with everyone. She has such a  pleasant vibe which makes working with her such a pleasure."

With Jai and Aishwarya around, there was never a dull moment on sets, "They both talk nine-to-a -dozen and most of the time they would be pulling my leg during breaks. It was a lot of fun."
Jai made another friend on the sets as well. "We both shot with child actor Vriddhi Vishal. Apart from acting, she loves dancing. So during breaks, she and Jai would practice and then make reels of their dance. One particular reel they made on Thalapathy Vijay's song even went viral!"

Shooting with a child actor, director Rohin made sure she was comfortable. " I noticed how he would shoot her scenes first, so that she could pack up early. If there was a night shoot, he ensured she had time to rest earlier, so that her sleep was not disturbed. Rohin plans everything perfectly, a trait I have noticed in all 3 movies that I have done with him."

Being a mom herself in real life, Shivada found herself connecting more easily with the child actor,  Vriddhi. "Being a mom, I could more easily guage what she was feeling,  just by looking at  her face. I could make out when she was tired or if she needed anything. Also, she is such an energetic child, who just loves acting. I would admire the way she would constantly recite  her lines, correcting herself, and be eager to do everything perfectly. I never  saw her make any fuss on sets and we totally enjoyed the time we spent working with her."

One part of the shoot was held  on a road in Ashok Nagar. Shivada had to drive a car, with baby Vriddhi seated next to her. "The street we shot in, was very near my house. As I slowly drove the car, a  neighbouring uncle spotted me! He immediately came up and started chatting. But after a moment,  he noticed that the child next to me was not mine. When he asked who it was,  I explained to him that  a film shoot was going on. As realisation dawned on him, immediately, he looked around for cameras and even apologised for getting into the frame. Though my neighbours know I'm an actor, they have never actually seen me shooting. This was the first time one of them saw me actually at work !"

Shivada travelled to Hyderabad for one part of the shoot. " We shot at Ramoji Film Studios. It was my first shoot on a giant railway station set there. It looked so real, I was totally wonderstruck!"

 Since she had a night shoot, Shivada had an entire day at hand to explore the gigantic studio grounds. "For the first time, I  had an opportunity to see up close, the famed Baahubali sets. The huge palace, the giant statues, all brought back great memories of the film. I even visited other sets on the grounds, where iconic movies had been filmed. It was such a unique experience which any movie buff  like me will surely enjoy!"