The women look visibly tense as they stand deliberating outside a washroom. A minute later, the tension reaches boiling point as they first peek inside, and, then, gingerly step into the room. As they stand huddled inside, suddenly, there is a knock on the door and their heads, as one, snap in that direction.
The shooting of the thriller 100°C , directed by debutant Rakesh Gopan, is progressing inside an apartment at Kakkanad, Kochi. Shwetha Menon, Bhama, Ananya, Meghna Raj and Haritha play the main roles, while Kollywood actor Sethu of Mynaa- fame plays the male lead.
“The film’s title denotes the mood of the film. Nila (Shwetha Menon), a techie, Nancy (Bhama), a bank employee, Revathy (Meghna Raj), a news channel reporter, Ganga (Ananya), a student, and a home-maker Lovely (Haritha), live together in an apartment. Each of them has their own personal issues but things take an unexpected turn after they get involved in an incident. There is some suspense and we cannot reveal more details right now,” says Rakesh, who has written the story and screenplay. Writer Vinu Abraham has written the dialogues.
“Though the film is centred on the women and is a thriller, it can’t be called a female-oriented film,” says the director, who has announced the film as the first of a two-part series.
The shoot shifts to the nearby road. The camera has been mounted inside a car to shoot the reactions of the characters during a journey. Shwetha Menon gets in first and the others wait for their turn.
The women seem to be having a blast, the camaraderie evident as they pose for photos and crack jokes during a break. “It has been great fun!” chorus the quintet, breaking into giggles. On a more serious note Shwetha says: “The incident affects each character in a serious way. The women of today are grounded and focussed when compared to my early days as an actor. When I started my career, everything was a bit of a lark. Looking at these wonderful young women, I feel so happy to see their professionalism, dedication and their cool attitude to life as well.” The actor is all set to start shooting for the next season of the popular TV show ‘Veruthe Alla Bharya’ on Mazhavil Manorama and is looking forward to the release of her next film Kalimannu next month.
Bhama, who has been really busy with her Kannada projects of late, says that she feels privileged to be part of the biopic on legendary mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujam. She plays Ramanujan’s wife.
100°C is produced under the banner of R.R. Entertainments. Cinematographer is Satyanarayanan and music director is Gopi Sundar. Stills are by Jijesh Vadi.
