Karthik Subbaraj reveals how Suriya pulled off a 15-minute single-take spectacle in 'Retro'

Director Karthik Subbaraj recently opened up about the sequences which included dance, confrontation, and action seamlessly in his film 'Retro' starring Suriya and Pooja Hegde. The filmmaker spoke about the challenging 15-minute single-shot scene which included a lot of activities.Pitching the idea to SuriyaSpeaking to The Hollywood Reporter India, Karthik revealed how the idea came about and shared actor Suriya's reaction when he first pitched this plan.Karthik had been fascinated by the concept from the start but wanted to ensure it was technically feasible before approaching Suriya. Once the crew mapped out the logistics and confirmed it could be done, he told Suriya about the idea. The actor's initial response was a smile followed by surprise, wondering how Karthik came up with such a complex concept."He just smiled first, and then he’s like, how are you coming up with something like this? But then, he was also excited. He, too, felt it would be challenging, but he was also full on into it," said Karthik.The scene itself is a whirlwind of activity, featuring numerous characters shifting from a lively dance number to intense confrontations and fights, all captured in one continuous take. To perfect it, the team dedicated several days solely for rehearsals-one day for technical run-throughs without actors, another for full cast rehearsals, and a dress rehearsal before shooting.Technical hiccups and a race against timeWhen filming began, they faced several hurdles. A technical glitch disrupted one take, and on the following day, unexpected rain threatened to ruin the shoot. The crew adapted quickly, using umbrellas and protective covers on cameras to continue filming. Even then, the team wasn't fully satisfied with the results. With just half an hour left in the day, they attempted one final take, which Suriya agreed to, and that became the version featured in the film.The film opened to strong box office numbers but faced a sharp decline in collections during the weekdays. As of May 6, the film’s total India net collection stood close to Rs 49.22 crore, with Tamil Nadu being the major contributor. The film was released on May 1.