Before Sholay, I was already doing stunts in Gujarati films — jumping off rooftops, rolling down hills, whatever the scene demanded. One afternoon, on an outdoor shoot, a call came for me at the studio watchman’s post. It was from my Guruji, Azim Bhai, who had introduced me to this line of work. He said Ramesh Sippy’s team was hunting for a stuntwoman for a big project and asked me to get in touch with the stunt director.

They had already auditioned women who could ride horses and were trained in action. But they hadn’t found what they were looking for.

I called from a neighbour’s phone. They asked me to meet them as soon as I was back in Bombay. I called and was asked to reach a Juhu hotel by 5.30 the next morning. There was a large open area, and the team, including Ramesh-ji (Sippy), was sitting there. They asked me to drive a tonga.

I forgot I was supposed to drive just a little and stop. I went quite far before turning around. When I returned and stopped in front of them, they all stood up and clapped. They asked, ‘Why did you go so far?’ I told them it had been a while since I rode on such a long open stretch. That was it, I was selected.

Later, I was taken to Ramesh-ji’s office for fittings. They took my measurements for bangles and wigs. Even then, I didn’t know whose body double I was going to be. Back then, stunt people weren’t told much, we just did the work. Two days later, I got a call at the ration shop near my house. They told me to be at the airport the next morning. I packed and left.

We went to Bangalore. The first shot they took was of Hema-ji (Malini) sitting by the water and seeing her reflection and then four dacoits approach. She sees them and takes off in the tonga. That whole chase scene was me. I jumped onto the tonga from behind and rode off. Later, they filmed Hema-ji’s close-ups. But the running tonga was all me.

I was on that shoot for 22 days. One unforgettable incident happened during the Holi scene, when Gabbar’s men attack the village. A little girl runs during the chaos. I was supposed to rescue her by running through the horses. As I ran towards her, she suddenly fell. The horses were right behind us. I didn’t have time to think. I grabbed her mid-fall, rolled on the ground to shield her, and ran through the horses with her in my arms. She didn’t get a scratch. I was badly bruised.

People clapped after that shot. Even Dharmendra-ji came up to me and gave me Rs. 100 as a token of appreciation. That was a big amount then. Our daily wage was just Rs. 175, so I hesitated to take it. I was always nervous about men offering money. But my Guruji signalled to me to accept it, so I did.

Then came the dangerous tonga scene. Hema-ji’s tonga hits a rock, one wheel breaks, the tonga topples. It’s me in that scene. Originally, the broken wheel was supposed to be a fake wooden one that would break easily. But the second wheel was accidentally replaced with a real metal one. When the tonga hit the rock, it didn’t break but dragged. I was thrown off and the tonga overturned. That was a real accident and I was injured. But those two scenes really stayed with people. I even received awards, seven in total.

On the sets, Hema-ji always treated me with respect. If she was sitting, she would ask for a chair for me to sit. Our body types matched so well, if I wore her makeup and stood sideways, you couldn’t tell the difference. Same with Sridevi-ji, Rekha-ji. I matched them naturally.

Sholay was the turning point in my career. Back then, things were difficult. Only boys did stunts. People would say, ‘You are so beautiful. Why are you doing this? If you get a scar on your face or break a bone, who will marry you?’ But marriage wasn’t my priority. We had fallen on hard times. I had to feed my family.

After Sholay, people realized I could drive a tonga and handle daring action. The film gave me recognition and credibility. I became a go-to stuntwoman for all kinds of scenes.

Eventually, I bought a house, got my siblings married and fulfilled every responsibility that had once felt impossible. And then, life came full circle. In 2019, a biopic on my journey was made. It was called The Sholay Girl.

They play a crucial role on screen but their presence barely registers. They're cinema's stunt artists, the anonymous bodies that catch fire, crash through glass, free fall from the 30th floor and get blown up in explosions.

“As stunt masters, we have to know every aspect of the sequence because we are responsible for the safety of the stunt artists who work with us,“ says Arivu, one half of action choreography duo Anbu-Arivu. The 31-year-old twins, who started in Kollywood, or the Tamil film industry, are in demand even in Bollywood for their “natural fighting“. They were seen most recently in the Rajinikant film, Kabali.

Recently, two Kannada stuntmen died while jumping into a reservoir during a shoot, highlighting issues of safety and compensation, but most stunt artists usually just grit their teeth and take the risk. “This is the only source of income for most stunt artists. If someone refuses, there are 10 others waiting in line,“ says Sanobar Pardiwala, 30, one of the dozen stuntwomen in Bollywood, who has been a stunt double for Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. “I'm very careful about the action directors I work with,“ says Pardiwala, who is trained in martial arts and gymnastics.

Younger stunt artists are following a passion but not the earlier generation. Reshma Pathan, 62, who became famous as Hema Malini's double in the unforgettable scene of a tonga overturning in Sholay, says she got into it to make ends meet. “I was 14 when I started. I was the oldest of five siblings, my father was sick, my mother did odd jobs,“ says Pathan, who retired four years ago.

A stronger union, technology, new equipment and digital models have made taking a tumble safer but it's still high risk. There are no specific insurance plans yet. “We have approached insurance agencies for policies for stuntman but they refuse saying these are risks we take of our own free will,“ says Sunil Rodrigues, president, Movie Stunt Artiste Association (MSAA), which represents 540 stuntmen and 108 action directors.

While union laws make it compulsory for producers to bear all medical expenses and pay for 15 shifts a month if a stuntman is unable to return to work due to injury on set, it does not cover all risks. “It covers performance, not rehearsal. Many get injured during practice,“ he says.

Arivu's brother Anbu had a life-battle to deal with during the shoot of Tashan (2008), when he had to drive a jeep into the pillar of a flaming building. Lighter fluid spilled on him and he ended up with severe burns. Arivu had to lie to the family that they were stuck for a month on location, when they were actually in hospital.

THREAT FROM ABROAD
Foreign stunt artists have been steadily eating into their work. Stunt artists earn about Rs 4,000 for an eight-hour shift, and stunt doubles get paid twice that given the risk and drama reserved for the hero. “But foreigners are paid five times this and get time and equipment for practice, which we have to bargain for,“ says stuntman Amritpal Singh. “The assumption is that they are professionally trained. We have the same skills but no institution for stunt training.“

Most stunt artists train on the scorching sands of Mumbai's Juhu beach or Eliot's beach in Chennai. Sham Kaushal, one of Bollywood's top action directors, came to Mumbai from Mirzapur in Punjab with a masters in English and no background in daredevilry. A chance meeting with stuntmen who trained at the beach changed his destiny. “I was living in a Chembur chawl, bored with my salesman job. This seemed exciting. I could earn more too,“ he says.

Sometimes, accidents have changed lives. A Rajendran, who worked as a stunt double in over 500 south Indian films, is now a villain, having lost all his body hair after a stunt went wrong 12 years ago. He had to jump into a pond, which turned out to be a pool of chemical effluents. In a month, he had lost every bit of hair on his body, eyelashes and all. “The stunt went well but I didn't get a chance to bathe soon after. The chemicals entered my skin.“ He tried different treatments but didn't get better. He then got noticed by director Bala for his unusual looks during a fight sequence in Pithamagan. “He offered me the role of villain in Naan Kadavul. After that I've been getting roles. So no more stunts,“ he says.

FITNESS COUNTS
Contrary to a few decades ago, when anyone with a sturdy physique could join, there is strict eligibility criteria now. “There's always demand for younger stuntmen. If they start early, they can perform till they are 45,“ he says. While small town boys headed to the big city earlier, today dancers and adventure lovers from cities are joining up. Six people who started practising parkour as a hobby have signed up with MSAA.

They may be used to taking leaps of faith, but before they do, most keep the faith. “Before every daring stunt, we huddle and say a little prayer,“ says Kaushal.

When the risk is too high, some say no. Pardiwala refuses stunts where safety measures aren't up to scratch. “No matter how much you train, it all comes down to your reflexes. You need to be sharp in body and mind. That helps make the split-second decision that could save you,“ she says.