Action films are challenging to make, but a safe bet for those K’town filmmakers, who know they can meet audience expectations. There are scores of Tamil films in which producers spent top-dollar to give their films grandeur. Hiring stuntmen from abroad to work in Kollywood films is a part of fulfilling that commitment. Although foreign action choreographers have worked in Kollywood before, of late their number has witnessed a considerable rise.
Director Rajesh M Selva, says, “For Kamal Sir’s Thoongavanam, we have Gilles Conseil from France. He conducts rigorous workshops before shooting and Kamal sir too likes the idea of preparing in advance.” Vikram’s forthcoming flick Paththu Endrathukulla has car chases, and stunt sequences involving many vehicles. The filmmakers approached Lee Whittaker who has worked on films like Jurassic Park, Die Hard, Batman, and the Tamil flicks Arrambam and Lingaa.
Vijay Milton, who helmed Paththu…, says the choice of stunt masters is based on the genre and the requirements of the film. He adds, “Paththu Endrathukulla is a film which has car drifting, spinning, skidding, etc something which drivers over here were not able to perform. Also, when it comes to scenes which involve ships, helicopters and boats, we need to depend on foreign stuntmen because of the safety measures used and their experience in this genre.”
Filmmakers find that the money spent on foreign talent pays off at the box office. Director Prabhu Solomon, known for his rustic tales, has sought the proficiency of Roger Yuan who has worked on films like X Men and Batman Begins for his upcoming film with Dhanush. “It’s true that filmmakers spend lots of money to rope them in. But the crew working for the film will be satisfied with their professionalism,” says Prabhu.
However, there are those like Stunt Silva, from Kumbakonam, who feel that our very own stuntment are equally as good as foreign technicians. He says, “There is an advantage of nativity if local stunt masters are working for Tamil films or any other Indian film. Now, this doesn’t mean that I’m against the trend but I don’t consider them competition. Moreover, when I work on Afghan films and French TV shows, I’m a foreign stuntman to them, right?” he concludes with a smile.
