This is how Annaatthe team is ensuring the safety of Rajinikanth on the set
The team of Rajinikanth‘s Annaatthe had resumed the shoot of the film on April 10, in Hyderabad, four months after the shoot had gotten halted when eight crew members had tested positive for COVID-19. With Rajinikanth’s health a source of concern, the makers wanted to ensure absolute safety on the set before resuming shoot. While the Superstar has now been shooting for the past couple of weeks, the film’s female lead, Nayanthara, joined the set yesterday.
We spoke to a source in the team on the safety measures that have been put in place to ensure that the shoot is completed as planned.
The source tells us, “When you enter the set, they do complete body sanitising. And everyone in the crew has to wear a PPE suit; the first time you enter, you might think you are at a hospital. You won’t even recognise who the assistant is and who the makeup man is. Even the cinematographer wears a PPE suit. As for the actors, in addition to masks, everyone also has to wear face shield, and they have to sanitise themselves on a regular basis during the shoot. Director Siva uses double masks and relays his instructions over the mic.”
The source tells us that the production house and director Siva are taking care of Rajinikanth “just like how you take care of a child”. “All the cast and crew have been advised to stay 10 feet away from Rajini sir. Other than artistes who are shooting a scene with him, no one can get close to him. In fact, they have even advised artistes to stay apart as much as possible. When he has to discuss a scene with Thalaivar, Siva sir speaks to him from 3-4 feet away. That is why even in the still that was released recently from the set of the film, you will find them standing apart. When Rajini sir has a scene, they enclose that portion of the set with a black cloth. Usually, during the shoot of a Superstar film, the crew members go to him, speak to him and seek his blessings, and also get their pics taken. But this time, only Rajini sir’s personal assistant can go near him and do his makeup. The assistants of other artistes have been told to not get close to him. And the co-artistes should go to the spot marked for assistants and get whatever they require,” the source reveals.
A few days ago, the team had shot a stunt scene with Rajinikanth, and now, the team is shooting scenes involving his character and Nayanthara. “The production house is keen on releasing the film on Deepavali as announced, and they do not want COVID-19 to upset this plan. The team is planning to wrap up the shoot by May 10, and have been working at a frantic pace, ensuring that Rajini sir’s scenes are all shot on priority basis,” adds the source.
