Along with romance, mainstream Hindi cinema, over the decades, has also been known for its action films. There are a large number of people who work tirelessly behind the scenes in order to make the action look not only convincing but also entertaining. People working in the action and stunts department go through a lot of pain, quite literally. One such person who has gone through a lot physically over a career of over 40 years for the same reason is veteran action and stunt director Moses Fernandes.
EXCLUSIVE: Action director Moses Fernandes, once known as Mithun Chakraborty’s body double, recounts his journey filled with injuries and adventure: “I love my work. There has to be some risk in it”; also reveals booking a hospital bed for himself BEFORE performing a dangerous stunt
In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungama, he got talking about what all stuntmen and action directors go through in their line of work but remain in the shadows. He recalled that he decided to join films very early in his life when he was 16. The first film he did was Richard Attenborough’s classic Gandhi. “I felt I need some adventure in life. I then realized this can happen only if I join the film industry, where I will get to jump, set myself on fire, break glass, etc,” he said.
Entered the field through a kind gesture
Fernandes entered the world of films through a kind gesture of a few people, which he can never forget. “At that time, you needed to pay Rs. 1100 to give the exam to be a stunt man,” he recalled. “The seniors said that I am very good at the work. But Rs. 1100 was a big amount for me. I had never seen that much money in my life before. So, I thought I won’t be able to go with it as I didn’t have that much money.”
But then came a twist. “The seniors, secretary, general secretary and others said that we should allow this guy,” said Fernandes. “They said I can pay later after I start earning from working in films. I felt so good that there were such people around. So, I started working and earning and I paid them. But I don’t think there would be such people today. We used to get Rs. 130 per day as a stunt man. That was a big amount back then.” Today, Ferandes’ filmography boasts of films like Gandhi, Baadshah, Soldier, Humraaz, etc.
Became known as Mithun Chakraborty’s body double
Fernandes, after his initial years, acquired the identity of Mithun Chakraborty’s body double. “I felt I will be able to do better action than him because I know martial arts,” he said. “I had started using martial arts in fight scenes. Before that, there was only ‘dishoom dishoom’ type of fight scenes. Then everyone started calling me for fight scenes because they wanted martial arts.”
He continued, “You can say that in a lot of films, Mithun’s introductory shots are all done by me. Directors used to say that they don’t need Mithun for these shots as I used to appear the same as him. I also used to be his body double in some songs.”
Fernandes has also been a body double for other actors like Pran, Shatrughan Sinha, Danny Denzongpa, Govinda, Sanjay Dutt, Tom Alter, Jeetendra, etc. “Shatrughan Sinha had fear of heights. I did his scenes where he had to stand at a height. Pran sahab was in advanced age, so I used to do his horse riding scenes,” he said.
Booked a hospital bed for himself before performing a dangerous stunt
During the shoot of Kaarnama (1990), the unit got to see something daring from Fernandes. They had to shoot a scene where Kimi Katkar’s character gets shot while she is riding a horse and she falls down while it is running. But the unit didn’t get permission to shoot on the grass. They had to shoot on a hard ground and they had permission only for that particular day. The people supposed to help in the stunt refused out of fear. But Fernandes put his hand up and decided to be Katkar’s body double in the scene.
He recalled, “I told them that a car should be ready near the gate to take me. I called a hospital in Bandra and booked a bed for myself. I knew after this shot I will need to be admitted. The shot was taken, I fell off from the horse that was moving around at the speed of 80 kmph, I went into the car and fell unconscious. I got admitted. The doctor said that both my kidneys were somehow saved. We had to take that shot as the light was fading and we didn’t have permission to shoot the next day.”
Fernandes also recalled removing a plaster from his leg when it was broken and attending shoots. He once did that when he had to perform a kick shot from the same leg that was plastered. “I asked them to get ready for the shot,” he said. “I got a blade and cut out my plaster. I then did the kick and the shot was okayed. Then I again went to the hospital. I removed that plaster thrice. The doctor said if you cut it again, don’t come to me.”
Attended his own wedding while being injured
Fernandes was busy doing a glass-breaking sequence just hours before his own wedding was about to take place in a church. “My wedding was at 6 pm,” he said. “But till 5 pm, I was breaking glasses on the sets of Gunahon Ka Faisla (1988). I broke three glasses and then went to the church. There were glass injuries on my face. The father asked me where had I been. I said we were shooting. He asked about the blood on my face. I said I was breaking glass. He said, ‘Are you mad?’ (laughs). I love my work. There has to be some risk in it.”
When asked the type of injuries he has gone through in his career, he said, “My nose was reduced to 6-7 pieces. Once a sword penetrated in between both the eyes. Doctor said that I am lucky that my eyeball didn’t get affected. I had to undergo a surgery. My fingers have been injured a lot of times. I have also had a lot of shoulder and back injuries.”
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