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- Rashmika Mandanna dives deep to raise the action bar
Rashmika Mandanna dives deep to raise the action bar
The action bar for leading ladies in Telugu cinema is soaring higher. Taking the baton from stars like Kalyani Priyadarshan, Samantha and Priety Mukundan, Rashmika Mandanna is going all out. For her upcoming thriller, Mysaa, the actress has completed what is being billed as “India’s first female-led underwater fight sequence.”The ambitious three-and-a-half-minute combat scene serves as the immediate payoff to the much-talked-about 80-foot waterfall jump previously filmed at Kerala’s Athirappilly Falls. Speaking to Hyderabad Times, director Rawindra Pulle revealed how the two grueling shoots tie together.
This is by far the most challenging thing I’ve ever had to do in life! We are crazy for this but that’s what’s gotten me so so excited!
Rashmika Mandanna
“The underwater combat begins the second she hits the water. Mysaa leaps from the waterfall, and what follows is a crucial, highly choreographed underwater fight. We spent three days filming this portion, preceded by a full day of rehearsals, because getting every <a href="https://comicvibe.com/gamestop-ceo-says-physical-games-are-totally-irrelevant/” title=”GameStop CEO Says Physical Games Are 'Totally Irrelevant'”>physical detail right was paramount,” explains Pulle.
Rashmika had no formal underwater training. After a day of rehearsals, she spent 8-10 hours in the water daily. Our cinematographer, Sukesh Vishwanath, taught her underwater sign language so she could communicate if she was in distress
Rawindra Pulle, director
The sequence was executed at a specialised studio in Shamshabad — one of the few such facilities in South India, originally constructed for Devara. While the physical toll of underwater combat was immense for the cast, the crew faced unique logistical hurdles of their own. “Because there are very few underwater studios in the South, we had to be incredibly precise. One of the biggest challenges wasn’t the action itself, but maintaining the water quality. To ensure perfect visibility and safety, the water had to be completely purified every single day, which became a highly demanding process throughout the shoot,” Pulle says.
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