Padayappa shows up at Telugu film shoot location

Idukki: Wild tusker Padayappa, in a surprise appearance, strolled onto the sets of a Telugu film being shot in Munnar, bringing filming to an abrupt halt.Though the incident took place near Kundala Golf Club a few days ago, videos and images of the wild encounter have now gone viral on social media.Padayappa made a dramatic, movie-style entry onto the set of Srinivasa Mankapuram, a new Telugu film directed by noted filmmaker Ajay Bhupathi.A large crew, including lead actors Ghattamaneni Jayakrishna and Rasha Thadani, was present at the location when the wild elephant arrived. Alarmed by the tusker’s presence, actors and crew members rushed to safer areas, leaving behind expensive cameras and shooting equipment.After receiving information about the elephant’s entry into the shooting site, forest department’s rapid response team soon rushed to the spot.Forest officials later succeeded in driving Padayappa safely back into the forest, bringing relief to the film crew and local residents. The elephant has reportedly been frequenting the Kundala, Chendhuvara and Chittuvara regions for the past week.