A movie starring Niel Nitin Mukesh and Deepika Padukone is running in a multiplex near you. Its called Lafengey Parinde. In a quick preview we saw of the movie, we were totally amazed by the stunts shown in movie with some Pulsar 220 DTS-i motorcycles. So we decided to get in touch with the guys responsible for the wheelies and burnouts and pretty much everything related to motorcycles that you will see in the movie. We indulged in an impromptu interview session with Bhuvan Chowdhary, Hrishikesh Mandke, Monty Singh and Pranil Gore and here is what their collective voice told us:
Q. What role have you guys played in the movie Lafengey Parinde?
A. We guys have played the role of the stunt doubles for the four main characters in the movie – Chaddi, Gulkand, Diesel and Neil.
Q. What bikes did you ride in the movie?
A. All of us rode the new carburetted Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-i
Q. What stunts have you performed?
A. Bhuvan Chowdhary & Pranil Gore: Rolling Burnouts, Stationery Burnout, Human Compass, Basic Wheelie
Hrishikesh Mandke & Monty Singh: Circle Wheelie, Christ, Human Compass, Basic wheelie, 12 o’clock Wheelie & Stoppie
Q. What was Neil Nitin Mukesh’s reaction at your performance with the bikes?
A. Neil is a biker himself and absolutely loves biking. In fact he owns a 2008 official R1 which he loves to ride in whatever spare time he finds. He was amazed to see such stunts being performed on Indian bikes and while he did try the stunts in the movie, he adores us for what we did in Lafenge Parinde.
Q. Was stunting for this movie any different than the stunts you perform at the stunt shows?
A. Yes very different! We have more confined space and more crew and crowd around us, so we have to specially be very careful. We do not want to end up knocking over anything or anyone. Given the hectic shooting schedules, our performance in front of the camera has to be very tight, co-ordinated and very very well scripted. Stunt shows on the other hand are all about keeping the crowd entertained so variations and unscripted actions pass off very well.
Q. Any special moments that you would like to recall from the movie shoot that you were a part of?
A. Yes, we have a scene where we have to take a ramp jump of nearly 5 feet on stock Pulsars without any modifications to the suspensions or without any reinforcement. On top of that, the stunt was such that all four of us had to make the jump at the same time from the ramp. This was a shot that we could only perform once and had to be taken right. The cameras were set and finally after a lot of calculation all four of us were flying off the ramp and got an amazing shot of the stunt. Landed safely and didn’t bump into anyone or anything. Pretty exciting stuff, but was one of the most though moments on the set.
Q. What’s your say on the progress of stunting in India?
A. Stunt riding has taken a major turn in the last few years, as the sport has become more and more recognized. The headcount involved in the sport is just going up exponentially. And most of the riders now know how important it is to wear their safety equipment. In the last few years, you can notice the variety of TV shows, Commercials, Movies etc. all having come up with more content related to stunt biking. This trend is definitely going to go upwards without a doubt. We certainly hope that the new guys feel the same when they come into stunting but at the same time, keep in mind the importance of safety gear while doing any such act.
Q. The stunts that you have performed now for the movie, how do you compare them to the stunts performed in movies 2-3 decades back?
A. Here is the big difference, when you talk about stunts two decades back, they were performed by stuntmen. Stuntmen are the doubles who perform any kind of stunt which is there for movies or the screen, let that be crashing or burning or just skidding under a vehicle. While that is primarily the difference between what they do and what we do, we cannot replicate them and certainly they can’t replicate us as well. What we do are co-ordinated stunts where the riders are in complete control of the vehicle and the environment around. Coming back to movies showing these stunts, they portray them more in a way of art and a kind of upcoming sport. At the same time keeping in mind that most of the stunts in movies previously were performed by wire tricks as well, there comes another major difference. In today’s movies we make them look more real because they ARE actually done without any rigs or any wires.
Q. What other movies / advertisements have you guys shot for?
A. Together we have done more than 20 different sets, recently coming together for Lafangey Parindey and another upcoming flick Peter Gaya Kaam Se. But our group of riders are majorly responsible for more than 80% of the stunts/riders in TV commercials that you see these days – automotive as well as non-automotive.
Q. Any message for upcoming stunters out there?
A. Stunt hard, practice what you do best and make sure you can do it under any situation. It’s an art, it’s a skill that you master on the bike. Be safe cause if you are not then no one will consider you for a part. Always and always look to improvise, that’s what makes a difference in you and the next stunt rider around the corner. But in the end, make sure you have a good time and keep in mind, practice makes a man perfect!
Q. Which biker group do you guys belong to?
A. We belong to Rubber Smokin’ Angels!
Head over to the next page to see photos from Lafengey Parinde>>>
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