Imran burnt his lashes, skin while doing 'Luck' stunts

By Radhika Bhirani

New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) From going underwater with sharks to jumping from a helicopter on to a burning train, Imran Khan has done it all in his forthcoming film "Luck". But he had his share of injuries for showing such daredevilry in the action flick.

"Shooting an action film can lead to plenty of injuries. A muscle pull, certain bruises are quite usual. In 'Luck', I sustained an injury while shooting the train scene. When the train was on fire, the flames went up a little too high and my eyelashes and the skin under my eyes got burnt," Imran told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

Imran had to then cover up the burnt skin with an extra layer of make-up for two weeks while he let the eyelashes be as he feels "people don't tend to notice them often".

While his daredevilry in "Luck" has been the talk of the town lately, the young actor reveals he had to use a body double for an aerial stunt in the movie directed by Soham Shah.

"There was one scene in the film where I have a body double. It required me to jump with a parachute around 1,000-1,200 feet off a helicopter and I didn't know how to skydive. Though I did jump off the helicopter myself with a harness, the real stunt in the air has been performed by my body double," he said.

Apart from this particular scene, Imran has performed all the stunts in the action thriller himself with the assistance of popular stunt director Allan Amin.

The 26-year-old has even jumped off an airplane on to a train on fire and went underwater for a scene with deadly sharks.

"The film required a lot of action stunts, jumping, running, kicking, etc. I got to do a variety of stunts.

"There was an underwater sequence where we had to shoot with sharks and a cage. For that we were trained in scuba diving. Then there was another one where I had to jump on to a speeding train that was on fire and fight on the train - those were exciting," Imran said.

On the insistence of the director, Imran and other actors of the film, including Sanjay Dutt, Mithun Chakraborty, Ravi Kissen and debutante Shruti Haasan, underwent a one-week theory and practical course in scuba diving in Durban, South Africa, he revealed.

"Soham was very particular about one thing - he wanted each of the actors to perform his or her stunts and so we trained in scuba diving for the underwater scene. It was a strenuous exercise. We used to spend six to eight hours in the water in the mornings, then go for theory classes and then back into the water.

"But it feels great to be a certified scuba diver now," said Imran, who had subscribed to a three-day beginner's course in scuba diving for his earlier film "Kidnap".

Despite the danger involved, Imran agreed to do the stunts on his own.

"Allan has a great fondness for me and he would want my inputs on it (the stunts) every time. While deciding upon a sequence, he would discuss it with me and ask me if I can do it or not and I would just say - 'Yeah, I can do this'. So in a way, we designed the stunts together," he said.

After "Luck", which will release July 24, Imran would be seen in "Delhi Belly" and "Seven Days in Paris".

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