The Unsung Heroes of Bollywood

Stunts are what the action films are based around. From Hollywood to Bollywood to every film industry of the world, the flicks are incomplete if the presence of the stunts does not exist. Stunts are one of the main ingredients of a movie’s recipe. Whether a film revolves around an action genre or talks of a romantic or emotional saga, the dose of stunt is to be given nonetheless.

Bollywood, which can certainly be called the world’s largest entertainment industry after Hollywood, vies Hollywood largely particularly when comes to action packed carnivals. The stunts used in Hindi cinema utterly try to tread with the Hollywood standards and depict the upshot on screen impeccably making it an enticing visual treat altogether. The force behind these lethal stunts is ofcourse the stuntmen who deserve distinction marks for churning out such incandescently au courant works according to the standards of the globe’s gargantuan entertainment business ‘Hollywood’ being within the range of a tiny shoestring budget of 1 % (allocated to them) of the total film budget. These unsung Bollywood heroes who should be saluted because they not only make stars but also shove the film to look catchy on the celluloid.

The importance of the stars, music, story and every department of the movie counts vastly, but what drives the cinegoers towards excitement and what generates the profits in terms of commerce are undoubtedly the stunts on the show. The stars from King Khan (Shahrukh Khan), Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol, Ajay Devgan, Suniel Shetty, Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan to John Abraham, are cherished hugely in every corner of the world. Who make them adorable? The answer is crystal clear – ‘The Stuntmen’ (the brave but unnoticed men behind the most noticeable stars). These cerebral instigators of Bollywood (that is becoming a global brand name rapidly), do the risk-filled job with poise and the every new day begins with the risks of death for them since they are at stake all the time. With their bravura-sanguine efforts, the action sequences sometimes look spectacular and the other times badly backfire but they are still walking on the thin line between life and death ardently to make the stars and the film look good on screen.

Since the action frames provide the real entertainment on the silver canvas but not many people know that often these scenes push the stuntmen to death or get them severely injured. Habib Haji, a well-known stuntman who works with Allan Amin and choreographs motorcar and bike actions, his father- a famous stunt master lost his life while doing a sequence for the movie, ‘The Burning Train’. In the blockbuster ‘Dhoom’ a movie by Yash Raj Films, Abhishek Bachchan’s double burnt his entire forehead while doing a burning scene on the stage. Despite putting their lives on risk from tip to toe, they are not provided the same standards of insurance and safety, the stars receive normally. They even do not enjoy the due recognition and fame, the Bollywood stars do. With all their luminous efforts, they are the inseparable part of Hindi cinema nevertheless.

Last year the blockbuster like Yash Raj’s Dhoom and Farah Khan’s Main Hoon Na hoedowned with the audiences like a sparkling wine due to the lucid fact of the catchy-eye opened action sequences in their ventures. The creative mind of a man behind these astonishingly and splendidly done action brims is none other than Habib Haji – the disciple of India’s foremost stunt director Allan Amin.

Today’s world has changed very speedily. The cinegoers have witnessed it that some time ago, the stunts were restricted only to men in particular; very rarely women had done in Hindi movies. Now the women have full-fledged roped in to do this tough job of stunts. Lately Allan Amin has made Lara Dutta jump off a cliff of 1000ft for an ad film and there are so many other examples staying with Bollywood and Indian showbiz industry where the ladies are found doing the unusual-breath arresting stunts.

The stars in industry are trained by the stunt choreographers to do the action sequences in films. Uttering her experiences for a training session attended to learn the action mantra, Preity Jhangiani chips in, “I had to undergo a training session on Juhu beach in Mumbai to learn the techniques, working and living style of a cop since I was to perform this role of a police officer in a movie titled ‘Baaz’. This clearly shows the intelligence of the Bollywood stuntmen (who are the spirit of Indian cinema) that they have the gripping knowledge of the art.

At Juhu beach, training sessions are held every morning where many aspirants from across the country come to learn the art. Amongst them, the talents are chosen for the industry. Moses-Kaushal, the stunt director, also practices with these stuntmen every morning.

Considering the importance of their rights, this valiant military of Hindi cinema has formed an association for them called ‘Stuntmen Association’, which protects their rights. This association is very strong and has the power to stop a movie being released if justice not done to any stuntman or technician. Rashid Mehta heads this association adroitly.

For the very first time, a one hour documentary ‘Stuntmen of Bollywood’ around the lives of the people behind the deadly stunts in Indian movies would be telecast on the National Geographic channel on August 14th this year. This documentary has been produced by UTV Motion Pictures and made by Jaya Mahajan from UTV who has earlier made award winning serials ‘Back to the Floor’ and ‘Business Bites’ for BBC TV. This documentary of Bollywood stuntmen will thoroughly cover the accounts of the dangerous lives of this Bollywood brave militia and also reveal the heroic and many a time tragic tales behind the popular actions scenes that have until now remained a well-kept secret. It will take the viewer down memory lane of 50 years of Indian cinema and a journey into the lethal stunt industry. This documentary would also focus on some disturbing questions like – ‘Has this growing industry increased the budget for stunts? Are stars and stuntmen ensured the same standards of safety? Is the life of an average stuntman in Bollywood any safer? The viewers will also get to watch the true life story of Bollywood famous stuntman Habib Haji – ‘Heroism in the Face of Tragedy’. Stars, technicians and stuntmen would also be contributing their views about the dangerous world of stunts in Hindi cinema in this classy piece of documentary. This documentary is a true depiction of the changing face of Bollywood.

The Stuntmen of Bollywood – the unsung heroes utterly deserve equal popularity and safety, the stars of this swanky world of Hindi cinema enjoy.

“A stunt being directed by India's ace stunt director Allan Amin in Hyderabad. The UTV crew, shooting for a National Geographic documentary on Stuntmen of Bollywood, was present on location to capture the action as it took place. “

“Crowd gathers to see the amazing stunt being performed by a stuntman who is ready to hurl through space.”

“Stuntman Habib, races under a trailer in the nick of time, as a jeep explodes over him. A stunt being shot at the Bandra Kurla complex in Mumbai for the film Blackmail.”

“Crowds watch as a car is cleared from railway tracks to allow a train to pass through. Preparations on for a stunt being shot in Hyderabad.”

“A stuntman geared up with safety equipment while performing a stunt for the top stunt director Allan Amin.”

” Crowds collect to see the risky stunt, as a stuntman gets ready to hurl through the space.”

Written By: Goher Iqbal Punn (Bollywood Analyst)