Sooraj Pancholi's Hero's stunts stylised by internationally-renowned stunt coordinators

Salman Khan is extremely particular and passionate about Hero, produced by veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai and him, and directed by Nikhil Advani.
Sources say that he was keenly involved in the overall detailing of this film that introduces star kids Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty. The Bollywood superstar reportedly had several meetings with Nikhil, especially when it came to the execution of the action sequences.He wanted a combination of international and desi action for Sooraj’s launch. Both of them agreed that the required sequences couldn’t be pulled off by a single action director. The duo hence identified three action directors, a mix of national (Mumbai and Chennai) and international directors.
Consequently, Ravi Verma, Amin Arif and Dave Judge (Inception and The Dark Knight Rises) came on board for the film. Amar Butala, COO, Salman Khan Films, says, “The sheer scale of Hero will remind audiences of the grand launches that debutants in the 80s and 90s had, with great music, strong emotions and solid action. As producers, we engaged the best talent in action from India and Hollywood, who have designed some complicated action sequences in snow and water. There are hand-to-hand combats too, all of which make Hero one of the most awaited films this year.”
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Salman also ensured that Sooraj did intense workshops at his Panvel farmhouse to prepare for the action scenes. And he chose this location so that he could personally monitor the youngster’s progress.
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The action scenes in the climax are huge and they are an integral part of the movie. There were no restrictions on the budget because Salman only wanted the best. The climax by Ravi Verma is shot with Sooraj on a specially-designed gym set with a lot of weights and dumbbells in the backdrop and the crucial scenes were shot in a boxing ring.
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Some of the other action sequences that were done in Manali had both Sooraj and Athiya performing dangerous stunts. In one particular scene that is part of the trailer too, their speeding bike had to jump across a broken bridge. Even though Nikhil felt it was prudent to use stunt doubles, both newcomers insisted on doing the scene on their own. As the bike zipped across the bridge, the entire unit held their breath, but heaved a sigh of relief as the duo managed to give a superb take! Nikhil says, “Any stunt requires a great deal of practice and precision. In Hero, most of the action was shot in snow and on bikes and many things could go wrong. However, we had a super team of action directors that made sure we worked hard at getting the best possible shots. Of course, having Salman’s 30 years of expertise helped a great deal in making the action look contemporary and dynamic.”
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Hero, produced by Salman Khan Films and Mukta Arts, released worldwide by Eros International, opens in cinemas on September 11.
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