'Lal Salaam': Aishwarya Rajinikanth Reveals A 'Lot' Of Footage Was Lost, Calls It A 'Huge Compromise'

Aishwarya Rajinikanth has shared insights into ‘Lal Salaam.’ In a recent interview, she revealed that she faced numerous challenges during the filming of the recently released film. Despite featuring Rajinikanth in an extended cameo and having Vishnu Vishal and Vikranth playing the lead roles, the sports drama failed to meet box office expectations.

In a conversation with Cinema Vikatan, Aishwarya also made a shocking revelation. One of the biggest challenges they faced while filming was losing 21 days worth of footage, and had to make do with whatever they had.

“It is true that we lost a lot of footage. We were shocked that something like this could even happen. It was about 21 days of footage. I should say it happened because of irresponsibility. And, it was unfortunate. We had shot a cricket match, and it was a ten-camera set-up. We wanted to shoot it like it was a real cricket match. We missed the footage of all the twenty cameras. We didn’t know what to do.”

She added that the entire team had to make the tough decision not to reshoot it and instead chose to edit the film using the available footage. “The problem was everyone including Vishnu, Senthil, and Appa also changed their get-up. So, we couldn’t reshoot it. In the end, we re-edited the film with whatever was left. It was challenging. Though Vishnu and Appa were cooperative and ready to do it again, we couldn’t shoot all of it again.” She also mentioned that there were budget constraints and logistics involved, and it wouldn’t have been an easy feat regardless.

“We couldn’t completely shoot, but took a few shots and managed the rest. It was a huge compromise. Maybe, it was meant to happen. We need to be more careful,” she stated.

As for ‘Lal Salaam,’ the movie also starred Vignesh, Livingston, Senthil, Jeevitha, K. S. Ravikumar and Thambi Ramaiah. It marked the directorial comeback of Aishwarya Rajinikanth after almost eight years. The film, which released theatrically on February 9, will be available to stream on Netflix from March 15.