Stunt mania

You have been doing stunts onscreen for over a decade now. Do you never experience fear?
Like anyone else,I do. But fear is something we adapt our mind to experience. It’s the society’s perception that gets ingrained into our heads to create what we call fear. My fear makes me cautious but doesn’t stop me from performing a stunt.

Which has been the scariest or the most dangerous stunt you have ever performed?
During the making of Blue,we shot most action sequences underwater. In one scene,I am deep under water and fighting 40 sharks,all of this without any oxygen mask or equipment. Every time the camera would roll,a unit member would take off my oxygen mask and I would perform the stunt. Soon after the shot,the mask would be put back on and I would take a deep breath. The vision was low and despite the sharks around,I had to make sure I don’t panic or swim up to the surface because if one attempts to,the lungs can burst due to the water pressure.

When you are successful and have a family,why do you still take risks that could prove fatal?
It’s stupid but part of it is because it’s a habit to take risks. But the truth is that after Aarav’s birth,seven years ago,I stopped doing stunts as dangerous as I used to earlier. I remember for Khiladi 420,I was inspired by a sequence in Tom and Jerry and did a stunt where I first stood on top of a flying plane. I then jumped on to a hot air balloon several metres below.

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Do you have any phobias?
I cannot go on a merry-go-round,it makes my head spin.

Have you ever used a body double?
Never in my decade-long career.

You say you conceptualised many stunts for the second season of Khatron ke Khiladi on Colors. Did you go easy since the contestants were women?
On the contrary,I made the stunts tougher. I believe that when faced with difficult or life-threatening situations,women are tougher and show better presence of mind than men in similar situations.