Vyjayanthi: More Behind-the-Scenes!

Before I start this post, I really want to thank every single one of you who have been encouraging and supportive of my performance on Vyjayanthi so far. I feel that I could have done so much better in so many scenes, and sometimes I wish I had more time to prepare for them. I've been informed that countless scenes have been cut out from the show due to the show over-running, which explains why Vyjayanthi seemed to sometimes play in fast-forward mode. This is because they want to send the show for Pradhana Vizha this year (that's the Indian equivalent of our Star Awards and Pesta Perdana), which means the show HAS to end by end of March.

Quite a pity though, many of the scenes were really good, plus they were our efforts. I've been proposing to the producer to make DVDs for sale for Vyjayanthi, and sell them as "Vyjayanthi (with Director's cut footages never before seen on TV!!!)" Lol. Quick, write in to them, and then perhaps that may motivate them to really do it. ;)

With the blink of an eye, 20 episodes have passed. It has been a great pleasure working with the whole cast and crew. Everyone has been patient with this non-Tamil-speaking young actress, explaining their lines to me whenever I asked, and they were all very friendly, fun people to be with.

You may fast forward the next 2 paragraphs if you're not in production. Cos I really really want to thank these people, and I know some of you are just plain not interested. Lol. I understand. Fast forward and scroll down if you wish. ^.^


Kokila Akka has never been short of wonderful, she always makes me feel like I have my real Mummy with me. ^.^ Mohan (Kairrakudi Satthapan) was also fantastic. He had to do so many monologues with me because well, Vyjayanthi can't speak. Duet scenes with him mean he has to talk to himself throughout. Lol. Vijaya, this girl cracks me up. With her single-raised-eyebrow expression which I can never seem to master, she often complains of sore eyebrow muscles after. Think she really needs botox sessions after the whole shoot wraps. Lol. Then comes Viknesh. This guy is the nicest guy I have ever met on Planet Earth. Often cheerful (other times sleepy and grouchy), he's quite a gentleman. He was really acting as totally someone else in the show, so you have to give it to him for that. In real life, he wins Mr Nice Guy, hands down. Vignesh, you have my vote in this year's Cleo's 50 Most Eligible Bachelor~ ;)

Then comes the crew. Gaya3...be proud that Vyjayanthi's your last project before you leave for greener pastures. Amidst all obstacles, the show was a success. Know that we are proud of you. Muneera, you were great while you were here. And you make everything go so smoothly. Malathi, you're one of the prettiest APs I've ever met. May you gain weight. Lol!!! Shen, despite your tender age, you are GOOD. The way you handle stuff, the way you handle people...keep it up!!! Jaya, wonderful script. You could've made Vyju happier, then I wouldn't need to cry as much. Lol. But yes, I understand the episodal constraints. So I forgive you. Venga, thank you for being ever so patient with Vyju. You're one of the directors I really really enjoy working with. =) And lastly, to all the rest of the crew involved, you guys were காசு (kasu) ~~~ ;)

Okay, here're the pictures! Here's an insight to some of the scenes you've seen in the show. They were all built by the amazing guys from Mediacorp. This is our studio....

 Yeah I changed the format of my blog a bit to allow for BIGGER pictures. Lol. Bigger is good, except when it comes to waist and butt size....Anything else big, mmmm~~~ *eh hem*

 Anyway this is me in the studio.

And this, is the set-up for the interior of my house. Not bad eh?

 NAH!!! Give you BIG close-up! UN-PHOTOSHOPPED. UN-EDITED. ^.^

Who says all bloggers PS their pictures, HUH????

Okay I really have no idea how to use Photoshop la. Think it's a lotta hassle to learn. Plus sometimes there are so many pictures, and so many things to do, I really can't be bothered. Bleah. You have been warned - only occasional PS-ed pictures here. So view my blog at your own risk. Here's my first ever Photoshopped picture, and I only used the Dodge and Blur tool. Dunno how to use the rest. Hur hur hur....

Better...? This was how fair Vyju was a year ago. Lol. 

Before I started filming, I avoided the sun like the plague. Even after I started riding, I always wore long sleeves, and kept myself fair. Then came filming. Outdoor shoots in the sun where I cannot hide, plus I don't get to wear long sleeves, jeans and gloves. Now you know why...

For those of you who thinks acting is easy and that we always have a good life and someone to help us hold umbrellas to keep us in the shade, think again. Hollywood, perhaps. This is Singapore. Welcome to my world. ^.^

 That's a cameraman on your far right. I love studio scenes. You have 3 or 4 cameras concurrently taking different shots of different people at different angles, so you only have to do the whole sequence once, and everything will be captured. If we're doing outdoor/location shoots, chances are there is only 1 camera. So we have to do 1 take for my close-up, one take for my co-actor's close up, one take for mid-shot, another take for wide shot.  So all in all you'll probably say your lines over and over (and re-enact your EXACT expressions over n over too) like, 5 times, just for a dialogue. That is if no one NGs....

 That's Radha reincarnated as Susila. Lol. And your scary Annamaal. God, she's good. 

 This is the staircase at the back of Satthapan's house. Eh we can actually climb them okay. I thought it really amazing. These guys take about ONE DAY to build the set. Not amazing? I think it's hell amazing work!!!

 My house at the 10th milestone. (Where is that??? Serangoon???)

 The sexy makeup artist. She's someone with her own style, and not once have I seen her commit a fashion mistake. Maybe she does on days I don't see her (I believe as humans, we err...lol)...

  This is what you see onscreen...

This is what we see on set. Lol~

And here are some of the outdoor shoots. Subject to extreme weather, outdoor shoots are not easy. Sometimes we get the sun too hot, sometimes we get thunderstorms... Then because this is the 1960s, there won't be developed civilisation, so there are the mozzies to deal with...

 This is an old school beside Newton Circus Market...

If not for the van and the rubbish bag, this would have been cute. -.-"

 This is totally random. Me and Shen. And we were camwhoring because it was pouring...and we can't shoot anyway so might as well do something constructive. Like camwhoring. Put nicely it's capturing memories...^.^

 HUGE raindrops....

This was at Lorong Buangkok. There is actually a kampung left in Singapore, can u believe it!!!??? Fortunately (or unfortunately..I don't know...) it rained, or else I might not have had the chance to go back there. Well, can la...in my T-shirt and jeans instead of Sari....but it's different la~~~

So, we went back another day for a reshoot.... 

I'll save that for another post. It's worthy of a post on its own.

You guys remember a scene whereby I almost got raped and then maligned of seeing that fat man? It was at Former Keat Hong Camp. Old place. And we started off with a really really hot day....

 Hot, messy, tired, thirsty...bleah...

 My best friend for shoots then. Baygon, want to sponsor me? LOL!!! Must give me the mosquito coil casing if you decide to okay? Cos I burnt myself twice with this thing, one of the burn marks unfortunately being on my left jawline... =..(

Nevertheless, it kept me safe from mosquitoes. It's the only insect I hate and run for my dear life from. Flies land on you, that's it. Mozzies land on you, bite you, and you get nasty itches for up to the next 3 days. The effects are haunting. I'd rather get knocked into by a cockroach anyday. 

Me, my camera, a good book, a huge tree with sufficient shade, and a mosquito coil. These suffice for keeping me occupied during waiting time. =D

Imagine Vyju on a motorbike. Damn cool right? LOL!!!! I always wear a jacket and pants over my baju when travelling between locations. A Chinese girl in a saree would already draw too much attention. A Chinese girl in a saree riding a sportsbike would be traffic-accident-inducing. In case I get sued, I dress up to not get noticed too much. It would be catastrophic should my saree end get caught in my wheels anyway...

But yeah, Vyjayanthi rides a sportsbike in her double life. Lol.

That place was old... The buildings have probably been untouched for the past few years...the layer of dust was really thick. I couldn't see the floor....and whenever I ran, the cloud of dust that got swept up was overwhelming... Bad for my nose...but I gotta do it....

 Thank god for me, we finished the shoot. Just as it was beginning to pour... (Otherwise we'd need to come back and get myself dusty and dirty again~~~ Crawling on that floor was quite an experience....)

Pathetic look. But actually I'm happy inside because that means I can wash myself clean in the rain as I ride home. HAHA!!!!

I know the picture's in nostalgia mode, but can you notice the layer of dust on my face? Lol. When I washed it off I literally changed colour from black to white...

I'm going to stop here abruptly. Will be sharing more behind-the-scenes pictures next time. For now, keep supporting Vyjayanthi! We have a Facebook fanpage, do go in there and "Like" the page if you like the show! We have no idea who created the page, since it wasn't me nor the producers nor anyone in the production....but follow it anyway yeah? LOLOL~~~!!!

For those who are still unaware, or who have yet to watch a single episode of "Vyjayanthi", you may now watch it on Xinmsn! --> www.xinmsn.com/vyjayanthi

After being officially in the acting industry for just over a year, this is my maiden heavyweight lead role, so do support okay? I thank you in advance. =)

Sunny&Rain&Stop&Sun&Rain&StopThenHot&PourAgain....
*~Silver~*