In this scene at the village set, the visiting military historian Romila – played by Indian actress Ritabhari Chakraborty – is brought a cup of tea by local girl Wahu, played by Sandra Dauma (right). At the back with the clapboard is intern Talia Seneve
moved up the Owen Stanley Range to Sogeri for the jungle trek and village scenes. “For this old man, he was really really dedicated, and I think the fun side of it made him to be just like us, the young people – we were energetic and we kept going on even when it’s very
late, like until 12, 1am, and 2 or 3am we are packing up and going back. “Because he’s the main character he has to be there fulltime, so in the morning if we are starting at nine o’clock, he has to be there and shoot, shoot, shoot until the director
is satisfied. Not one day – Lord knows, somehow maybe the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels were with him – but he was not sick for the whole time. Maybe he felt a little bit (unwell), but we didn’t see it. No, he was with us from day one up until the last day.” Despite the tight schedule, Noelene described the shoot as “fun from the beginning till the end”, with “lively and cheerful” Sine at the heart of that. “There were times when you know, the director advises that you do this and he does something else and then everybody laughs! He’s not that kind of a man who sits and you get bored sitting with him – he talks and talks and tells a lot of stories and makes people laugh.” A pivotal part of the film is when the elderly ‘Papa’ dies in his sleep after revealing to Romila that he knew her grandfather, and promising to guide her the next morning to where the man’s cremated remains were buried in the jungle. When Romila
“The realistic set included seven thatched huts, fireplaces and footpaths”
VOLUME 43 2025
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