For artists, films may come and go, but there might be one project that will remind them the hard work and experience they have gained from the making of it. For the cast of upcoming film Boat, it is undoubtedly that film they consider the most rewarding.

A survival drama which was mostly shot on the waters of coastal village of Uvari in Tiruvanamalai, actor Chinni Jayanth who plays a prominent role in Boat, says, “We shot the whole film in the middle of the sea. If we go in the morning, it will take us until 6 pm or even 9 pm, to come back to the land. We had security in place, and shot where the waves would be low and fishermen, motorboats had access to. In fact, the production had spent more for the security and escorts. All of us were given swimming classes, but it is the experience that counts.”

The team of Boat had shot in the sea for 33 days. A period film set during the pre-Independence era, it revolves around a group of survivors who are stranded on a boat in the middle of a sea as the Japanese bomb the country.

“It was a small boat, and there wasn’t enough comfort or space for all of us. I play a pregnant woman and you cannot stand up as per your will. Shooting this film was indeed a challenge, and every night after shoot, the fatigue is enough to put us to sleep,” says actor Madhumitha.

Comedian Chaams who is also part of the cast adds how the production had safety measures in place and despite all the odds, the team braved them to make the film. So, it looks like the team has shot a version of Titanic? “Of course, namma ooru chinna titanic,” say the actors.

Boat Team interview

The cast of Boat were astonished with the way the production was handled, right from installing the placement of cameras, and efforts of men who were responsible for the safety and keep the boat afloat. “In fact, we had slight fear that we should in no way give less than 100% for this film, given how much efforts have gone into the making,” says Chaams.

Madhumitha chips in how the confined space of boat was just enough to accommodate the props and cast, that there were barely any room left for them to even keep a water bottle. “Even if have to use the toilet, we have to come all the way to the shore. It is a survival drama, so naturally we had to operate on minimal supplies off camera as well. But this is definitely one of the most experiential films we have done. But all that pain vanished when we saw the trailer,” the actors say.

Braving the harsh conditions

Chinni Jayanth says filmmaker Chimbudevan has been lucky with the cast of the film, that ranges from veterans like MS Bhaskar, to popular faces of today’s times like Yogi Babu. “Myself and MS Bhaskar are the senior artists from Boat. Luckily MS Bhaskar was my brother’s classmate and we have known each other for about 50 years. And, I am also a person who mingles with the youth, and there is no ego I carry based on the age. I have acted with Sivagi Ganesan in about 10 films. So more than saying we have achieved everything, we have seen everything,” says Chinni Jayanth.

Chaams says that even as the cast faced issues like harsh weather and sea-sickness, the down-to-earth nature of such senior artists indeed provided respite for younger artists like them. “There used to be a lot of laughs and humour on the sets that made us forget the hardships we had to face. Both Chinni Jayanth sir and MS Bhaskar sir have simplicity to the core,” he adds, as Madhumitha reveals how both of them helped her with Telugu for her role in the film.

Evolving comedy space

What ties Chinni Jayanth, Madhumitha and Chaams together, is how all three of them have comedy as an integral part of their career. On the evolving comedy space, Chinni Jayanth says, “There is a difference between a clown who evokes laughter out of their appearance, while comedians use speech as medium. A lot of debaters have a smart humour sense to make comedy. Actor Vivekh, even though has the looks of a hero, changed himself to do comedy, whereas Senthil used his appearance to evoke comedy. Cinema operates on the looks, be it hero or comedian. For the latter, it is how he improvises on his appearance that determines his sustenance long term.”

On the space for women in comedy and does it exist now, Madhumitha says, “The question should be asked to the writers of today. In the past, there were many films that were family dramas which had given the scope for women too to shine as comedians. But later, artists are stamped as comedians. It is difficult to do comedy roles in all the films because character roles are important too. In fact, a comedian can do any type of role.”

Chaams add that artists should enter industry with the sole intention to do comedy, which can become the only way to increase comedians’ population in the industry. Both Madhumitha and Chaams advocate for influx of artists who can experiment in various types of roles, including comedy.

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