CHENNAI: The sets of GodsJilla starring Tharshan was a perfect mix of everything a film needs - love, friendship, comedy... The team did it all with ease as the aroma of coffee filled the shooting spot at a city cafe on a rainy day. DT Next brings you on location of the day’s moments as the crew filmed at a brisk pace and speed
No rains deterred actors or the technicians from coming to GodsJilla’s set on time. It’s a beautifully lit cafe in Chennai and things are quiet as we enter the venue. Tharshan is seated in a corner while director Mohan Guruselva and cinematographer Shivraj are discussing the frame and the lighting. Tharshan couldn’t stop expressing his excitement at being a part of the project. “It is because when I set out for acting, all I wanted was to meet Gautham Menon sir and click a picture with him. And I did. I am not sure if he would remember that. Now in GodsJilla, I am sharing screen space with him. Couldn’t have asked for more. I will show him our picture before the shoot ends,” he says with a huge smile.
But that isn’t the only reason for him to give his nod for the project. “Actors tend to be stereotyped easily, don’t they? That happened to me after Surrender as I started getting more cop roles. But GodsJilla was interesting because it has many firsts for me. I am certainly not revealing those elements now but the fantasy part will take the audience by surprise. Moreover, shooting with this team has been a lot of fun,” he adds.
Producer G Dhananjayan, who is simultaneously producing two films under his banner, Creative Entertainers and Distributors, shuffles between locations. He reaches the shoot of GodsJilla and says, “Two films at the same time is not a joke. There needs to be meticulous planning, especially at this day and age where Tamil cinema is trying to bounce back. We have completed a little 30 days of shoot and only a few more days are left before we call it wraps. Our actors too have been cooperative in terms of allocating dates,” he says and introduces us to his co-producer and actor PGS. “I am playing a modern devil or a satan in this film. The shoot has been shaping up well and there is enough scope for comedy in this which will tickle the funny bones of every audience who watch this movie.”
Redin Kingsley and Jagan, where seen in a discussion in enhancing the scene. Mohan narrates the situation while Jagan and Redin immediately get the gist of it and deliver a single take performance. “There are hardly any films these days that provides space for a really good comedy. GodsJilla breaks that jinx. We, as a team keep improvising with each scene and the chemistry has been amazing between us,” Redin points at Jagan. Jagan too agrees with him and adds, “This is a film on modern love concept and I play modern Manmadhan, right opposite to PGS’s character. There are a lot of emotions that all of us go through and we as a team have enjoyed working on it.”
The female lead of the film Alisha Mirani looks around and states, “They are all seasoned actors and I have a lot of takeaways working in this movie. There is a lot one could learn from Tharshan, Redin sir, Gautham sir and Jagan. They all have made me feel comfortable. I am glad I am part of this project.”
After a long day of shooting, director Mohan and cinematographer Shivraj finally take a break. Mohan says, “It is important that a film is completed in a certain number of days and budget. I had quite a few scripts on hand and wanted to go with GodsJilla because it is a package that has everything in it.” Shivraj says that the film follows a different colour pattern, “Be it the cafe we are shooting or other locations in Chennai, they get along with the story. We have kept the colour pattern keeping in mind that this is a fantasy rom-com,” he says as the crew packs up for the day and are set to shoot in another location on the outskirts of Chennai the next day.