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Courting danger is their business
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A glimpse into the world of stuntmen and action directors shows the risk factors and suicidal situations they walk into everyday.
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EXTREME ENTERTAINMENT: Stunt director Vikram Dharma with Chiranjeevi and B. Gopal during the shoot of `Indra.'
THE THEATRE resonates with whistles, claps and the ecstatic shouts from the hero's diehard fans as their idol gets into a car and does a turtle turn. In reality, it is the work of an expert stunt artiste acting as a dupe to the `macho' hero. When he does the turtle turn, it is like he has had a meeting with Lord Yama and has come back. At times, risking a limb or two or even life.
While such thrills enthuse the people, do the stunt artistes get what they deserve for their daring acts? How far has the risk factor reduced with the advent of computer technology? Ace stunt director Raju, who is instrumental in shaping the A.P. Stunt Director and Artistes Union, gives us a peek into these aspects while comparing the action scenes in films then and now.
"No doubt, there is a lot of technical advancement in our area. With the advent of computer graphics, our job has become easy. Previously, if the hero had to jump from a 20 or 30 feet high wall, he had to be mentally prepared and safety arrangements had to be made. Now, it is enough if he stands on a wall, the graphics take care of his landing," laughs Raju. "But, it is not as if our top heroes never took chances and risks. They have all come up the hard way with an urge to do even the action scenes themselves and, at times, even met with accidents. However, thanks to advanced technology, without the hero straining a muscle, we can make the audience believe that it has been hard work. But, computer graphics cannot bring in the natural feel. "The audience is quite intelligent and can easily differentiate between a manual fight and a graphic-aided one. Graphics should be incorporated in such a way that the audiences cannot brush it aside. Moreover, graphics involve a lot of expenditure. Blasting a Sumo vehicle costs the producer Rs. 1 lakh or so. To create the same scene graphically costs him Rs. 3 lakhs. So real risk should be taken to make the scene look convincing."
CROSS OVER: Ram and Lakshman with Sai Kumar in `Khaidi Brothers.'
Are the action scenes composed keeping in mind the hero? "Not really. I go by the story and the character as visualised by the director. I listen to the situation and then think of how far the hero can justify the sequence, and the minimum risk with which we can compose the scene. I need to know why the hero is taking on the villain. There are different emotions for each action episode. Only if we follow the story can we do justice to the situation. Otherwise, the audience will get confused not knowing why they are fighting. Only those fights that emanate from the story stand for a long time."
Raju, son of pioneering stunt master Raghavulu, started his career with the Chiranjeevi-starrer, Kiraayi Rowdeelu (1981). And in these two decades he has composed stunts for over 300 films in all the South Indian languages, Hindi and, recently, two films in Bengali including the super hit, Sathi. He had the unique record of composing fights for over 40 films of Chiranjeevi including big hits like Khaidi, Pratibandh and Aaj ka Goondaraj.
"I worked with all the top heroes. Even when the going was good for me in Chennai, I shifted to Hyderabad eight years ago. Being a Telugu, I felt it is my duty to be here and develop the art. I did not mind losing work from the other language film industries. We formed an association and imparted training to local talent. Today, we have some fine youngsters who have the skill to become top stunt directors. Still, we have a long way to go and need encouragement from the producers here," says Raju, whose recent film Lahiri Lahiri Lahirilo, was a runaway hit. While his son chose to become an actor, his two brothers are also fight masters.
Is it true that Chennai-based stunt directors are treated well by the producers and given all the props they ask?
"Yes, the technicians here get less moral and materialistic support. The top producers in the field have come from Chennai. So, they still have an affinity towards that place. And they bring stunt directors from there. I am not blaming them. They are investing crores of rupees in the product and they would like to ensure quality. Vikram Dharma, Super Subbarayan, Vijayan and others are all veterans in the field and excellent stunt directors. Of course, the mistake lies with our men too. They have not grown to the level of Chennai-based stunt artistes. But, believe me, in about seven years from now they would also rise to higher levels. However, the support must come now." Among the local stunt directors Vijay and Ram-Lakshman have already shown promise. Vijay has turned director, whereas Ram-Lakshman took to acting.
In these 20 years, what changes has he found in film stunts then and now? "By the time Chiranjeevi entered, speed in action scenes has already taken place. Before that, the action scenes were a bit slow. Previously, the directors took full command, narrated us the story and asked what they want from us. We had to cater to their needs. Today, we have more freedom". Raju says that the cameraman and the stunt master complement each other. "There must be rapport between these two for the end result. Likewise, I sit with the editor during the editing of the action scenes, explaining him the motive behind the compositions so that he can have a clear-cut view before cutting the film. So, a stunt master's job does not end at merely composing and enacting the fight sequences. If the director works for a year over a project, we work for at least three months."
DARE DEVIL: Raju has composed stunts for over 300 films.
But do they get their due recognition at the end of the day? "Leave alone recognition, even the remuneration is less.
The technician does not have much value here. I am not complaining. From the beginning, it was like that. In Hindi cinema, the scenario is different. The stunt artistes have their value," he says.
The former FEFSI president and veteran stunt director Vijayan had once said, "I believe that stuntmen in the south are the best in the country. And to be frank with you, we have king-sized egos. To assuage our egos, we risk our lives more than anyone else. We are the kind of people who tell our families that we are going, but we will never say that we will go and come back because everyday we walk into suicidal situations voluntarily."
Now, that showcases the life of a stunt artiste that is still in black and white.
M.L. NARASIMHAM
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