25 Years of Kachche Dhaage EXCLUSIVE: Milan Luthria opens up on Ajay Devgn’s SHOCKING accident during the UNFORGETTABLE train sequence: “He put his head back and a stone on the track hit his head. On the walkie-talkie, we said, ‘Roko, roko’. But motorman heard it as ‘Go, go’”

The grand action entertainer, Kachche Dhaage (1999), completed 25 years on February 19. It starred Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Manisha Koirala and Namrata Shirodkar in leading roles and was the directorial debut of Milan Luthria. The film is memorable for many reasons and one of the big ones is the train sequence. It’s so well shot that it gives goosebumps even today. Moreover, it was shot without the use of VFX, cables etc. As Kachche Dhaage celebrates its 25th anniversary, Milan Luthria exclusively spoke to Bollywood Hungama about how this unforgettable sequence was filmed.

 

25 Years of Kachche Dhaage EXCLUSIVE: Milan Luthria opens up on Ajay Devgn’s SHOCKING accident during the UNFORGETTABLE train sequence: “He put his head back and a stone on the track hit his head. On the walkie-talkie, we said, ‘Roko, roko’. But motorman heard it as ‘Go, go’”

 

Milan Luthria said, “It was very tough. When I signed the film, producer Ramesh Taurani asked me about my requirements. I replied, ‘I need five technicians – choreographer Saroj Khan, action director Tinu Verma, sound designer Rakesh Ranjan, cinematographer Gopal Reddy and art director Bijon Das Gupta. They were the biggest names in their fields.”

 

He added, “Tinu did the action beautifully. We were on the train for 11 days. At that time, that sequence cost Rs. 1 crore. Every morning, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, we were on the train. It was so hot that we couldn’t even touch the metal railings.”

 

Milan Luthria then revealed, “The action scenes were filmed very methodically and carefully. But Ajay did suffer an injury. He was supposed to be tied under the bogie. There are stones on the tracks. The train was moving slowly and by mistake, he put his head back and a stone hit his head. He looked up and said, ‘Roko’. On the walkie-talkie, we quickly said, ‘Roko, roko’. The one in the motorman’s cabin heard it as ‘Go, go’. So, he increased the speed of the train. Inside the shirt, Ajay was wearing two protective sheets. The shirt tore and so did these sheets. Then his banyan also tore and then the stones cut into his back by the time the train stopped.”

 

 

The filmmaker continued, “So yes, it was tough but those were the times when the actors did take big chances in action. Even when Saif was pulling Ajay up, he was not harnessed. So, you had to either do these scenes or don’t do it. But that’s the vision I had – that Saif is going to save him despite both being handcuffed.”

 

This was not the only challenge faced by Milan Luthria and his team. He added, “The locals were excited to see big stars leaving Udaipur railway station. A lot of them used to jump onto the train. They would be on top, and it used to be difficult to get them off. So, we had to stop the train and persuade them to disembark. Also, some of these fans would ride on the bike on the road parallel to the track and they would look at the camera. At times, they would bang onto a tempo or a pole! Some of them would even ride on the tracks next to the track where we were shooting. Even they would slip and fall.”

 

Nevertheless, the unit managed to have some fun, amid all the madness. Milan Luthria stated, “We used to play antakshari on the way back while sitting on the rooftop of the train. Eventually, the trains became a big part of a lot of films that I did.”

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