Safety ignored during film shooting
The word Ramanagaram conjures up images of scores of mango groves dotting either side of the Bangalore-Mysore rail track, of imposing rocks and yes, of Sholay. The Ramesh Sippy classic made this little known town famous overnight. Oldtimers still remember the shooting of the film on the edges of the then small shanty town. Now, director Narendra Babu, who gave us love stories including O Gulabiye and Pallakki and who has now turned his attention towards action, is taking his new-found passion to newer heights. How so?

A fighting ring without any visible support 20-ft above the ground strewn with steel spikes and rods, provide the ‘perfect prop’ for Babu to execute an action scene for his film Yuva. A slip and you are either instantly killed or badly maimed for life. If you are reminded of a Jean Claude Van Damme film, so much the better. The stunt, choreographed by Cheetah Yagnesh Shetty, is the introductory scene of the film, featuring hero Kkarthick Shetty and Chandrashekhar, one of Shetty’s students. It is an inter-collegiate martial arts competition where the heroine meets the hero for the first time and falls in love. 

According to Yagnesh Shetty, these types of action scenes are common in the West while this is the first time for an Indian film. Shetty was particularly delighted with the special, raw location for the action scene. The fight incorporates four styles of fight: Wushu, Winshu, Okinawa and Shetty’s own Cheetah styles, again a record. Shetty was particularly happy with the endurance power and intensity of Southern heroes when compared to their counterparts in other parts.

While the stuntmaster was satisfied, the actors eager and expectant, nobody seemed to notice a flaw. The absence of basic emergency medical care - no ambulance, not even a first-aid kit! When pointed out, producers Shetty Manju and C N R Manju were non-plussed and looked at Narendra Babu, who chose to gloss over this dangerous omission.“We wanted something ‘different’. We have tied ropes all around. It is absolutely safe,” was the general reply when asked about the necessity of such a stunt. The unit insists that the film has the element of thrill without any blood and gore, at a good location. A 70-ft high hydraulic crane, an Akela crane and around 1,000 junior artistes are being used for the scene which will be shot in four days flat. By the way, the total cost of shooting this scene is only Rs 15 lakh!

Goodbye to politics
After the elected government lost power, several people left one party and joined others. Actress Shruti and her director husband Mahendar were among those who entered politics for the first time and joined BJP, the ‘wronged party’. Then there are other stars who have been MLA, MLC and even Central ministers! While it appears that most of them are keen to contest the elections again, this gentleman has had enough. Anant Nag, who along with brother Shankar had joined Ramakrishna Hegde’s Janata Party in the 80s is no longer interested in politics. Says the handsome actor, “ I lost interest when our party (as JD (S) joined hands with the Congress. I am happy to be out of politics now.” The actor, presently busy acting in serials, has now graduated gracefully into supporting roles and is revelling in it. “Lead roles do not excite me anymore. There is hardly any variety in them whereas other roles still have something to challenge the actor in me. I am content.”

Anant was chit-chatting with scribes at the shoot of director Vishnukant’s Ganga Kaveri, where a wedding scene was being shot. All the important actors were attired in the Kodava costumes and heroines Mallika Kapoor and Mahi vied with each other to grab the attention of admirers. Meanwhile, Anant Nag welcomed his onscreen wife Roopa Devi who was making a comeback after 18 years. Roopa Devi on her part confessed that the deciding factor for facing the camera again was acting alongside Anant, that too as his wife!

Meanwhile, the director chose to maintain the suspense over who — Ganga or Kaveri — would eventually marry Akshay, the film’s hero.