Its not always, action pack bollywood stunt requires a stuntwoman or stunt double, some ads which you see for mere 30 seconds on your television screen do requires a stunt artist do deliver some action-pack sequence in mere 30 second time frame. One such memory of a daredevil stunt is from TV commercial Mahindra Renault Logan. Stylish car unveiling sequence in the scorching heat of dessert calls for glamor, precision and thrill for exciting stunt experience of a stuntwoman. A stunt shot in dessert storm, with lots of turbulence, long walks to highways for a retake and communication in military sign language made a memorable experience that a stuntwoman can ask for.
An action-packed sequence where chopper and truck carrying new model of Logan were moving at a speed of 80km/hr, the scene required to rapple down from chopper from moving truck going at a great speed. Rappling down from a chopper onto the truck which is moving at a great speed requires a good amount of space for safety and balance, but when you are handed a space of 3×3 feet and suspending down from tension cable the situation gets tricky and risky. As simple as it may sound, the but landing from a constant turbulent chopper (thanks to tension cable) and high-speed moving truck is a easier said then done moment. Not to mention this sequence was shot in a heat of 40-degree temperature with 10 takes, of those 10 takes 4 times, experienced a crash landing on sand dunes. One of those landing had hair entangled with tension cable, while cable released from the body, but being present in the situation and improv is in job description of stuntwoman, just about when the chopper was about to pull out, managed to have a tight grip on the cable before any fatal accident could take place on the set.
An experience which became lesson to be remember for a stuntwoman to perform any stunt in any circumstances, is know be daring enough to face any situation but wise enough to know ones limit and where to draw the line when situation arises. Being reactive, present in the moment and being aware that’s the thumb rule for a stuntwoman to perform stunt in any circumstance.
Enjoyed the blog? Looking for more experiences behind the scenes of some action pack sequences in bollywood movies? Checkout my experience in “Bang Bang” which I recall as stunt fest for any stunt artist in bollywood. Or a fall from a staggering height of 250 feet from Ethrapalli Water fall in Movie “Ravan” for which I was nominated at Taurus World Stunt Nomination.