COUNTDOWN BEGINS FOR CHENNAI EXPRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Page 3

The filmmaker customised his friend's vehicle to shoot complicated action scenes easily.

Cars flying in different directions and sometimes blowing up midair, is a staple of Rohit Shetty films, more prominently his Golmaal franchise.

But for his next, Shetty has taken his passion for cars to an altogether new level. The filmmaker has used the services of his friendly neighbourhood mechanic to turn a car - which his buddy was kind enough to gift him - into a mean machine that can be used to better shoot actors and objects in motion in his upcoming Chennai Express.

When contacted, Shetty simply said: "The car's a great modification and it was fun to shoot with it."

However, a source close to the project revealed: "Rohit and his team were discussing some action scenes in the pre-production stage. One of his friends joined the group and Rohit requested him to sacrifice his car for the sake of the movie. The friend obliged and Rohit gave the car to a mechanic with elaborate instructions that he wanted it modified for shooting in motion."

For the uninitiated, while a tracking shot or 'Jimmy Jib' is used to shoot characters in motion, it comes with its own limitations. Chennai Express is packed with hardcore action scenes, one of which involves shooting Deepika getting into a moving train while she is running. The customised car helped Rohit shoot the sequence much better.

According to the source, Rohit was stunned when the new-look car was delivered to him. "He anyways loves cars and they give him a huge high. When shooting on a platform, the car will offer a lot of flexibility to film the actors," the source said.

Apparently, Rohit is so gung-ho about his mean wheels that they will be used in all his upcoming projects.