Boat actors Chinni Jayanth, Chaams and Madhumitha interview: We have shot our own small version of Titanic

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

Boat, a survival drama, was mostly shot on the waters of the 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 went out to sea in the morning, it would take us until 6 pm or even 9 pm to return to land. We had security in place and shot where the waves would be low and fishermen and motorboats had access. In fact, the production had spent a lot on security and escorts. All of us were given swimming classes, but it is the experience that counts.”

The team of Boat shot at 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 the sea as the Japanese bomb the country.

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

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

The Boat interview

The cast of Boat were astonished with the way the production was handled, right from the installation of cameras to the efforts of the men who were responsible for the safety and keeping the boat afloat. “In fact, we did not want to give any less than 100% to this film, given how much effort had gone into its making,” says Chaams.

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

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Braving the harsh conditions

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

Chaams says that even though the cast faced issues like harsh weather conditions and sea sickness, the down-to-earth nature of such senior artists provided respite for younger artists like them. “There used to be a lot of laughter and humour on the sets, which made us forget the hardships we had to face. Both Chinni Jayanth sir and MS Bhaskar sir are very humble and simple people,” he adds. Madhumitha then revealed how both of them helped her with speaking in Telugu for the film.

The evolving comedy space

What ties Chinni Jayanth, Madhumitha and Chaams together is that all three of them have comedy as an integral part of their careers. On the evolving comedy space, Chinni Jayanth says, “There is a difference between a clown who evokes laughter out of their appearance and comedians who use speech to do this. A lot of debaters have a good sense of humour to make comedy. Even though actor Vivek looked like a hero, he changed himself to do comedy. Whereas Senthil used his appearance to evoke laughs. Cinema operates on looks, be it that of a 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 whether it exists 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 gave women the opportunity 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.”

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