A Bike Crash

COLUMN: LOCATION DIARY

Actor Honey Rose talks about her experiences in the films, 'Boyy Friennd', 'Chunkzz', and 'Pithavinum Puthranum'

By Shevlin Sebastian

During a shoot, at Irinjalakuda, for Honey Rose's first film, 'Boyy Friennd' by Vinayan (2005), there was a scene in a house. A group of students were going to meet Rameshan (played by Manikuttan) because he had not come to college for a while. So, Honey was supposed to sit behind North Indian actor Madhumitha on a bike. “In fact, Madhumita said she knew how to ride a bike,” says Honey.

So, they set out. But as they approached the house, Madhumita lost control, the bike hit a wall and both of them fell down. “I was in a daze,” says Honey. “It happened so quickly.” Honey's father, Varghese, rushed up, with an anxious look on his face. Thankfully, the injuries were minor: bruises on the knees and arms. “My father immediately told me not to sit behind Madhumita,” says Honey. But after a few tries, Madhumita got the hang of driving and they did the scene without any problems.

Unfortunately, Honey suffered another injury during a shoot of the just-released 'Chunkzz'. On the last day of the shoot, for the Kochi segment, during a free period, Honey had gone to a beach at Kochi with her cousin Merlyn. However, while walking, Honey hit a small rock buried under the sand and twisted her right ankle. “Suddenly, it started swelling,” says Honey. “And for one week, I had to put it in crepe bandage, and place it on a pillow while lying on the bed. I had to take pain killers, too.”

Thereafter, for the next schedule, Honey arrived in Goa. But her leg had not healed completely. “I felt a bit tense because there was a lot of running around to do, as well as ride a cycle,” she says.

In fact, if you look closely, especially during the sequences of the song, 'Hey Kili Penne', you can see Honey wobbling a bit.

And when she was asked to ride a cycle, she asked for somebody to hold it from behind. The crew agreed. A member stepped up. Soon, Honey started pedalling.

“I gained in confidence, and began to move well,” says Honey. “But after a while, when I looked back I got a shock. Nobody was holding the cycle. Immediately, I got scared and lost my balance.”

Honey had a completely different experience during the shoot of 'Pithavinum Puthranum' (2012), which has not yet been released, because of problems with the Censor Board over the subject. In the film, Honey acted as a nun, who has a relationship with a few priests.

In one scene, the nun has a dream where she, like Jesus, is being crucified on the cross. So, at the shoot, at Motta Kunnu, Vagamon, Honey began to drag a cross up the hill. Thereafter, she lay down on it. Her hands and legs were tied. Then the cross was raised. “After a while, I found it too painful,” says Honey. “The body weight was being felt on my wrists. There was a small piece of wood beneath my feet, but it was not enough.”

It all got a bit too much. Honey fainted suddenly. So, the crew rushed to lower the cross on to the ground. Water was splashed on her face. And Honey slowly regained consciousness. “It was an unforgettable experience,” says Honey. “I went through all types of emotions, and pain. I got an understanding of what Jesus went through. In those days, they would hammer nails in the hands and the legs. You can imagine how painful it was.” 

(The New Indian Express, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode)