While shooting for director Chimbudeven’s Yogi Babu-starrer Boat, actor Madhumitha had to shoot a major portion of the film on a boat with the ensemble cast. “When we travelled to the location, which was near Thoothukudi, none of us knew that we would be shooting inside an actual boat stationed somewhere in the middle of the sea,” says Madhumitha.
She then adds, “The whole time the boat would keep rocking, sometimes violently, sometimes gently, depending on the tides. The sun beat down on us relentlessly and there was no cover. Our skins were dry and sunburnt. To top it all, we had to emote without narrowing our eyes, despite the harsh sunlight. There was no space for us to move around. Moreover, we couldn’t go for bathroom breaks, as the shore was far away. Each session in the boat lasted for three hours. Only after that could we take a break for meals, before returning to the sea again. For the first three days, it was really tough.”
Even at night, all the actors felt that their bed was rocking, due to being on a moving boat all day. For Madhumitha the shoot was tougher since she was nursing her five-month-old baby at the time. “Being away from the baby for long periods of time was very tough. But I managed somehow. Leaving the baby with my trusted help and a caring production team helped as well,” she says.
Sometimes the shoot was at night, which gave the actors respite from the sun. However, the makers had also arranged for provisions to make things safer for the actors. Madhumitha says, “The production and director Chimbudeven had arranged for a team of local fishermen to be near us always in case of any mishaps.”