Action-packed sequences in films often come with inherent risks, no matter the safety measures in place. This danger multiplies when performing high-octane stunts, as Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan experienced firsthand during the filming of the superhero blockbuster Krrish (2006). Recently, the film’s director and his father, Rakesh Roshan, recounted the heart-stopping incident that almost led to a tragic accident, but miraculously, Hrithik escaped unscathed.
“While filming Krrish, before every shot featuring Hrithik, I would pray that everything goes well,” Rakesh Roshan shared during a conversation with Connect Cine. “When he’s swinging from one place to another, he’s on a pendulum, and people below are controlling him. These controllers are so experienced that if he had to land somewhere, his legs needed to touch the ground first. If he landed on his knees, they would have been broken. Since the speed is so high, every shot of him swinging from one place to another was filmed at 200 fps instead of (the usual) 24 fps.”
The director further revealed details of a terrifying accident that occurred during filming in Singapore in 2005. “He was climbing very high, and I was sitting across the road with the cameras. I could sense that he wasn’t comfortable and was trying to adjust something. By the time I got up from my chair to inform my action director, he had already fallen. The cable snapped, and he fell. Since he fell behind a tree, I couldn’t see what had happened. So, we all rushed to the spot. Fortunately, he landed on a canopy,” Rakesh recalled.
Explaining the miraculous escape, Rakesh added, “I believe these are all God’s blessings. Just half an hour before that, it had rained in Singapore, so all the restaurants had their canopies out. He fell right in the centre of one of the canopies and didn’t even touch any of the iron rods. And then he said, ‘Papa, I am fine; don’t worry.’ I told him we wouldn’t shoot today, but he replied, ‘No, we have to shoot today; otherwise, this fear will remain with me.’”
Krrish, the second installment in the franchise that began with the sci-fi drama Koi… Mil Gaya (2003), featured Hrithik Roshan alongside Priyanka Chopra, Naseeruddin Shah, Rekha, Sharat Saxena, and Manini Mishra. The film went on to become a massive success and was later followed by a sequel in 2013 titled Krrish 3.