Suriya pulls off 15-minute dance-action song in one take for Retro: ‘No room for error’

A still from the song

Suriya's Retro, which hits the theatres today, has been eagerly awaited as it sees the Tamil actor collaborate with director Karthik Subbaraj. Even before its release, the actioner caught the attention of many, thanks to the one-take song, Kanimaa. Featuring Suriya, Pooja Hegde, and composer Santhosh Narayanan, the number sees them dancing in multiple locations, everyone matching step for step, beat for beat. Shooting for it was an exhilarating as well as a challenging process, reveals Suriya. "In the 15-minute song, we danced, fought, and so many events unfolded without a single cut," he recalls.

The team prepared for two weeks with choreographer M Sherif. Suriya points out that every artiste in the frame had to be not only prepared but also in sync with the rest. "In the song, we begin at ground level, move upstairs to a balcony, and then descend to a basement. What makes it unique is that it involves choreography and action. Everyone had to dance, fight, deliver dialogues; there was no room for error. It was like staging live theatre on film. The precision required was immense, and Karthik sir pushed us to do it all in one take."

Popular songs shot in one take:

. Meri jaan (Gangubai Kathiawadi)
. Gallan goodiyaan (Dil Dhadakne Do)
. Raabta (Agent Vinod)