A Viswanathan Velai Vendum-like song sequence for Gautham-Ezhil film

Sea breeze, sweltering heat, umbrellas and dancers were what we were greeted with on the sets of Gautham Karthik’s thriller film directed by Ezhil. As the shoot progresses by the pool side overlooking the seashore, executive producer of the untitled project by Kavya Entertainment, we could see choreographer Dinesh instructing his assistant as the heroine of the film Sai Priyaa is seated beside him looking at the monitor. “Even when I don’t have a shot for me, I would still like to hang around on the sets and observe what is going on and how things are done. Also I am a playful person who doesn’t like to sit in one place. Shooting sets are my energy booster,” she says as Gautham Karthik walks in on the sets. 

Dinesh tells the actor what his sequence is and Gautham along with model Shivanya rehearses his steps. But when it comes to shooting spots, Gautham Karthik’s energy has always been the X-factor, so we leave it to him and Sai Priyaa to decide. “I have my own kind of pranks that I play on the sets but Sai Priyaa is more of a social media person. The other day she had a shot. But she got on to a scooter and started doing a Tik Tok video. However, Sai is a chilled out person and doesn’t take anything in the wrong sense,” he smiles. 

Sai tells us that they have named her Dora the explorer. “I’m a huge Dora fan and these people have named me after that. They even ask me where is Buji. We need to find someone suitable here,” she quips. As Dinesh calls the actors for the shot, Sai takes her position and Shivanya is ready to shake a leg. Gautham sums up that the entire shooting has been a fun experience. “We all know that Ezhil sir is a fun-loving person. With this film he has forayed into thriller genre in which I play a private detective. Also, this set has been a great learning experience because of Parthiban sir. When working with him one can understand the dedication he has. He takes a reading of the scene and works on how to improvise. He is a powerhouse on the sets,” he says and leaves for his portion of the shoot. 

Sai joins us back and returns to help Shivanya with her lines. “As my mother tongue is Tamil, I have been helping her out with the lip sync. The other day I had stunt scenes and I managed to pull it off. Today here I am, dancing for Imman’s music. This film will show me in various emotions like love, action and sentiment. Ezhil sir knows how to portray his heroines. Working with Ezhil sir, Gautham, Dinesh master and cinematographer Gurudev has made me a better actor. Lively is the word to describe this unit. I have enjoyed working in this for 17 days.” Meanwhile, Gautham is pulling off his steps with ease. “When you ask me if I enjoy doing songs or fights more, I would say fights. With dance you would have to be more careful as coordination is important. Even if something minute goes wrong, it will be noticeable on screen,” Gautham reveals. 

Choreographer Dinesh gets a little time off and says that the song is similar to Viswanathan Velai Vendum. “That is how we planned it. Rock-and-roll song is something new to a Ezhil film, which we are shooting across three days, a time that is required for a song,” he says. Gautham too agrees. “Yes, from thatha’s Kaadhalika Neramillai. Nice,” and the trio goes back to shoot the remaining portions.