27 Years of Koyla: Shah Rukh Khan immediately agreed to set himself on fire for the crucial climax scene; Rakesh Roshan said “Shah Rukh is a very DARING person; When I saw him on fire, I literally got scared”

By Fenil Seta -

April 20, 2024 - 3:58 PM IST

Koyla (1997), starring Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit, completed 27 years on April 18. Directed by Rakesh Roshan, the film is memorable for its music, mass moments, virgin locations and performances. The action of the film stood out, especially the shot where SRK, set on fire, runs towards the antagonist, played by Amrish Puri. As Koyla celebrated its 27th anniversary, we bring to you the quotes of Rakesh Roshan and others as they speak about the film’s dangerous stunts in the making video.

27 Years of Koyla: Shah Rukh Khan immediately agreed to set himself on fire for the crucial climax scene; Rakesh Roshan said “Shah Rukh is a very DARING person; When I saw him on fire, I literally got scared”

Rakesh Roshan said in the video, “Shah Rukh is a very daring person. When I conceived the climax, I went and narrated to him what I had thought of. I told him, ‘I can only do this if you give the shot yourself’. He assured me, ‘I’ll do it’!”

Talking about his experience of filming the money shot, the acclaimed filmmaker confessed, “When I saw him running on fire, I literally got scared.” Cinematographer Sameer Arya then stated in admiration, “He could have died. The man has got a lot of guts.”

The video then cuts to visuals of Shah Rukh Khan falling after giving the shot. The unit members then run towards him and apply a solution and soda to douse the fire. SRK seems a bit distressed with the experience. But soon, he gets back into his trademark humorous mood as he quips, “I can do this stunt with my eyes closed. The problem is keeping my eyes open while doing it!”

Shah Rukh Khan didn’t get injured while giving this dangerous sequence. Instead, he was hurt while giving a simple shot in the song ‘Dekha Tujhe Toh’. Shah Rukh revealed, “It was an ambition in my life that main aisi film karoon jisme frame ruk jaaye aur likha hua aaye ‘This is the scene where Shah Rukh Khan got hurt’!” He is obviously referring to the unforgettable moment in Coolie (1983) when mega star Amitabh Bachchan had a near-fatal accident. SRK continued, “In one shot, I revolve and jump. And then I fell and broke my knee.”

Rakesh Roshan then shared details of how he designed the action with the action team saying, “We spent 20-30 days conceiving the action scenes and then putting them on paper. We had thought of the exact shots that we were going to take. Also, we used to be fully prepared for the next day’s work. Like we’d plan that ‘Today we are going to take 50 shots’. And we used to make sure to take those 50 shots.”

Madhuri Dixit, meanwhile, spoke about standing at the top of the waterfall with Shah Rukh Khan for a crucial sequence, “It was scary to stand at the edge. Just one little step and there would have been a visual of us (Shah Rukh Kher and her) falling into the waterfall!” She, then, also added that the experience was “awesome”.

She even spoke about another dangerous stunt in the film involving Shah Rukh Khan, “The helicopter goes right over his head. For a minute, we thought that he was hit by the chopper.” Deepshikha, who also was a part of the film’s cast, remarked, “If Shah Rukh had not ducked at the right time, he would have been hit.”

Shah Rukh Khan ended his byte on action on a humorous note saying, “If somebody wants me to do those dangerous shots, I would not do them!”

Also Read: Shaimak Davar reveals how Shah Rukh Khan convinced him to work in Dil To Pagal Hai