Ash-Abhishek battle leeches, snakes and a grueling schedule

Abhi Ash battle leeches, snakes and a gruelling schedule for Mani Ratnam

Mani Ratnam recently wrapped an intense schedule of his Abhishek-Aishwarya Bachchan starrer in the dense forests of Kerala. The cast and crew shot in some of the most challenging conditions in the jungles.
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Our source from the set reveals, "The shoot of the film would start beforeu00a0 dawn, sometimes at 3 am. The jungles we shot in were so dense that sunlight would rarely break through even during the day. Artificial lighting was used even during daytime."

Rustic rumble

The hotel the cast was put up in was two hours away from the location. And the actors had to walk on foot for over a kilometre inside the jungle to reach the set.

The walk from the location to the set was difficult as there wasn't even a pucca raasta. Mani had built a set in an open thatch in the jungle where lead pair AbhiAshu00a0 shot major scenes."

Leech dilemma

The other big challenge for the cast was leeches that are common in south forests. "The jungles are called sholas in local dialect.

The jungle is infested with leeches and Ash was bitten on the very first day of the shoot. Since the leeches stick to your skin and suck the blood without a sting, they are difficult to trace.

One day, Ash started bleeding from her leg, and that's when the crew realised she was attacked by a leech. After that, Mani asked everyone to carry salt with them, since it repels leeches."

Snaking around

Apart from leeches, snakes also infested the jungles. "There were seven to eight foot long snakes that would be present on the sets. Mani had got a local snake catcher who would protect the crew from any poisonous reptiles."

Double shoot
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Apart from the Hindi version, Mani is also shooting for the one in Tamil on the side. The cast for the Tamil film is totally different from the Hindi version as opposed to reports that Ash will be starring opposite south actor Vikram.