Speaking of the song ‘Vaan’, how was it shot in Bulgaria during winter?
It was December and it had the worst climatic conditions ever. The shot had to be done within sunset and that happens at around 3:30 PM. The climate is so freezing that it’s unexplainable. Aditi had a very flimsy translucent saree to wear and hats off to both the actors for doing this song in extremities. We would ask them to not mess up any shot, finish it every shot in one take and go sit near the heater. They used to finish off every shot and run towards the heater. We had taught them lots of tricks and hacks to dance to perfection.
How was the experience of working with Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Raees’?
He is one of the most down to earth celebrities I have ever met. He is humble, humorous and makes us feel at home. I had this feeling that I’m from South and people there might ignore me but he spoke to me like I was his long lost friend and it was truly a great feeling. I remember adding a picture of our making still on my Twitter and I was absolutely surprised to see him not just remember me but also retweet my picture with a rather lovely message.
Kaatru Veliyidai-Sarrattu Vandiyila
What is most special about director Mani Ratnam and his team?
I have been working for Mani Ratnam since the movie ‘Iruvar‘ and it is beyond imagination as to how a human being ca never change since then. From caring for every detail in his film, his sets and his team to giving them fodder to their imagination he is truly the best director in the country. To him his work is everything. He is silent, punctual and an absolute lover of work. He has five minutes of discussion about a song and only sees during the rehearsal. He never questions the ability till then.
Ravi Varman creates painting through a camera. He is so quick that it’s unbelievable and he can finish off everything within a shot. From assistant directors to art directors to editors, they make the set looks so perfect from how it initially was is what we need to learn from them – perfection!
Tags: Aditi Rao Hydari, AR Rahman, Karthi Sivakumar, Mani Ratnam, Ravi Varman, Shah rukh khan, Brinda, Exclusive, Interview,
