It is half past seven in the evening.
Arcot Road is its usual self — several thousand automobiles squall as they whizz past in a rush to get ahead of one another.
A few feet off the main road, nestled in a quiet corner amid the vast expanses of the plot occupied by AVM Rajeswari theatre, a film crew has unloaded equipment and erected a set.
Walking into it feels like entering a space warp. In three seconds, we teleport to Miami from Vadapalani.
- Loosely based on the 2009 Kevin James film, ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’, ‘Gurkha’ is the story of Bahadur Babu (played by Yogi Babu).
- He is part Nepali, and is one of the guards at a shopping mall where terrorists have taken shoppers hostage.
- Among them is the US Ambassador, played by Elyssa Erhardt. A Canadian model, Erhardt debuted in a small role in Vijay’s ‘Sarkar’ last year.
To our left, we spot a familiar face — Donald Trump, President of the United States, whose caricatures are hung from a wall.
Next to the portraits, inside a wall-mounted cupboard, are liquor bottles of various American brands. There is a vape shop, a hot dog stall, another wall which has vinyls, a pizza outlet, and a street bar that serves cocktails. Oh, and there are neon signboards.
Stuff of fantasy
So, where are we? “You’re inside the dream of Yogi Babu,” says Sam Anton.
We’ve stumbled into the shooting spot of Gurkha , a film that hits the screens next week, and Anton, who is the director, adds that they’re filming a dream song sequence with the film’s lead female, Elyssa Erhardt.
We should have figured! There is a 1960s Chevy Impala (or the ‘Soppanasundari’ car) in the middle of the set. “This is the final day of shoot,” Anton says.
The song sequence being filmed on the set of ‘Gurkha’
We’re informed that Babu will shake a leg in the song but the director cautions us not to expect too much.
“He is not too kicked about dancing. He will have basic steps,” Anton laughs. But Babu will arrive late on the sets.
Being the busiest comedian in Tamil films comes with logistical challenges. “He is shooting another film somewhere near Siruseri. He will be on his way here as soon as he finishes it,” a production crew member says.
Odd one out
The camera frame is fixed to the centre of the Miami-esque set. Through the monitors, we observe the female background dancers taking their positions on the floor. They are wearing white cropped T-shirts and shorts with an overcoat.
Choreographer Sathish Krishnan breaking down the dance steps for Elyssa Erhardt
On the monitor, Sathish Krishnan, the actor-turned-choreographer, is observing every detail on their costume. He spots something amiss.
“Why is she wearing a different colour shoe?” he asks. Anton peeps in to find that one of the background dancers, who occupies the right end of the frame, is, in fact, wearing blue sneakers while the rest are sporting white canvas shoes.
Immediately, a production member is sent packing to visit every shoe store in the vicinity. It is a panic buy.
But why does it matter? Who will notice the odd blue shoe, if at all anyone’s watching the background dancers’ legs instead of the centre of attraction, Elyssa?
“I know it is hardly a matter of three or four seconds of screen time. It may not register in the audiences’ minds. But we’ve got to look into every detail for the sake of uniformity,” Anton responds.
Choreographer Sathish Krishnan breaking down the dance steps for Elyssa Erhardt
Stargazing
That’s when she walks in. Elyssa greets all the men sitting next to the monitor with a handshake and a warm hello. She is dressed in denim shorts and a barely there top, which she constantly re-adjusts every time she completes a step in the rehearsal.
The song titled ‘Vellakaariya’ is written by director Vignesh Shivan. Krishnan goes for the take.
The song plays in, and Elyssa moves like a dream. But Krishnan isn’t satisfied. She is off centre, and they go for a re-take. She does it again, and she is off the frame’s centre again. They go for a repeat, again. Over the next 15 minutes, we lose count of the number of re-takes that Krishnan demands.
Elyssa Erhardt
At some points, he sits by the monitor, visibly fuming; his grip on the microphone in his hand growing tighter by the second.
“Focus, Elyssa... Focus!” he yells. Krishnan walks up to Elyssa, and continues... “It’s not about repeating the steps. Okay... perform it.” When more attempts go not as planned, Krishnan changes the moves on the fly.
The problem piece in the choreography for Elyssa is a step in which she is required to do a quick sit-up and turn to her left for the dance sequence to be complete.
A female assistant in the choreography team suggests that perhaps Elyssa has a problem doing the step in her high heels. A change of footwear happens, and during the next take... she is bang on target!
“Amazing take, Elyssa... superb,” says Krishnan into the mic, as the background dancers give her a round of applause after a 45-minute marathon. She has not had a sip of water in the meantime... but Krishnan is not done.
“Superb take... now, let’s do it one more time!” he says.
Our jaws drop.
