Landslides, flash floods in Himachal Pradesh stall shoot of Karthi's Dev

A team of over 140 hands working on actor Karthi's upcoming film Dev are stuck in Kullu-Manali without food after the place was hit by flash floods and landslides. The team cannot be contacted either.

The rains that lashed the place on Sunday (23 September) have disrupted life in the region. Karthi, who was supposed to join the team yesterday, was also stranded by the flash floods. 

“We had to shoot certain scenes in rainfall or snowfall," the actor said. "Things were just right with gentle rains and even the weatherman did not foresee such an alarming situation.

"However, that was until yesterday. The situation worsened with unceasing floods and landslides. Huge rocks started rolling down the hills and hampering vehicular movement. I was stranded in my car for nearly five hours and was advised to stay in a nearby village for my safety.

"What’s worrying is that around 140 members [of the film unit] are stranded atop the mountain without food or communciation.”

With the roads blocked by landslides, local authorities say it would take at least 48 hours to clear the debris and facilitate vehicular movement.

A source close to the unit said the calamity had caused producer S Lakshman Kumar, of Prince Pictures, a loss of nearly Rs1.5 crore. 

The action-adventure film, featuring Karthi and Rakul Preet Singh in the lead roles, is being directed by Rajath Ravishankar. The film's music will be composed by Harris Jayaraj.