Bollywood stars out of ‘action’ for action

Actors Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, John Abraham, Sunny Deol are all Bollywood’s leading men, but their superstar status is not the only factor that they have in common.

All of these stars also happen to share health complaints like slip-disc, lower-back pain or knee trouble that stems from having endured physical injuries in the course of their careers and putting in long strenuous hours performing some heavy-duty action stunts or indulging in some rigorous dancing sequences.

While they continue to reign at the marquee, industry insiders vouch that these stars’ve had a heavy price to pay for their stardom.

Just recently, it was revealed that Roshan completed a shoot despite suffering from excruciating knee pain. Kumar and Khan are known to share tips to keep their lower back trouble in check, while Abraham too had suffered from extreme muscle fatigue due to the gruelling work-outs early last year.

Deol, who’s known for having performed some of the riskiest stunts himself, avoided the use of body doubles since his early days as an actor. 

“Action was sports for me. I was completely hooked to doing all the action myself. Back then all you cared about was giving it your best shot as convincingly as possible. It was difficult to gauge the damage it could do your body in the long run,” shares Bollywood’s macho star who as a result of his ‘action’ had to undergo surgery for his back troubles a few years ago.

For Roshan it was no different. Indulging in some heavy action stuff and excessive dance routines has taken a toll on his health too.

“I’m an actor and as actors we do tend to push the boundaries too. One can’t sit back and worry about the risks all the time,” he explains. Abraham agrees. The actor who’s known for his muscled physique adds, “There’s so much unbelievable stuff that we do as heroes and if it was so easy to perform that, why would anyone pay to see us do them on screen?” he asks.

Action king Kumar admits that hanging from a harness for endless hours or attempting to jump off helicopters is not easy. “When it comes to work, there cannot be compromises. But the way to combat that is to maintain a healthy and disciplined lifestyle,” he feels.

Khan and Devgn's personal trainer Prashant Sawant feels that the nature of their job requires them to push their bodies to its limit.

“They often have to endure extreme pain, as despite their health troubles, they do not have the luxury to take months off. And even then, they need to be in good shape when they get back, which is not easy. Even the fittest bodies have fallen prey to this,” he points out.

An actor on conditions of anonymity sums it up saying, “It’s a heavy price we pay to reach the top, but when we see the perks, we feel it was worth it. What’s a hero, without the herogiri?”