Shooting for debut director Rajath Ravishankar’s Dev, starring Karthi and Rakul Preet, came to a complete halt due heavy landslides and flash floods in Kulu-Manali, Himachal Pradesh where the shooting was taking place.
The actor, who recently joined the team in Himachal to shoot a few scenes, returned to Chennai on Monday due to the erratic weather conditions. Karthi, in a press statement, said, “Until yesterday, things were perfect with mild rains. Even the weather forecast didn’t say anything alarming. But the situation got worse with unceasing landslides and floods. Huge rocks started rolling down the hills, hampering vehicular traffic and movement. I was stranded inside a car for nearly four to five hours and was later asked to stay in a nearby village for safety purpose.”
While the actor had joined the shoot on Monday, the film crew comprising of 140 members were already at the location for the past four days. “Around 140 members are stranded at the mountain top without any communication and food. The roads are blocked and it would take at least 28 hours to clear the passage for vehicles,” he added.
Due to the weather condition, producer S Lakshman of Prince Pictures has reportedly incurred a loss of Rs 1.5 crores. Karthi, upon his return, tweeted that the crew members are still in Manali but they are safe.
Friends,
Few of us came back to Chennai last night. Director, Cameraman and crew are still in Manali but they are safe. Since there is no power and roads are cut off they will come down after a day. Hope rain stops soon!— Actor Karthi (@Karthi_Offl) September 25, 2018
In Dev, Karthi has once again teamed up with Rakul Preet, after the success of Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru. The film is scheduled to release in December this year. Produced by Prince Pictures, the music for the film is composed by Harris Jayaraj. The film also stars Prakash Raj, veteran actor Karthik, Ramya Krishnan, Amrudha and others.
