By:
Upala
KBR,
Mid-Day
Thursday,
November
22,
2007
Saif
Ali
Khan
has
done
all
the
action
sequences
himself
in
Abbas-Mustaan"s
thriller
Race.
One
of
the
most
daring
stunt
scenes
was
when
Saif
jumped
off
a
22-storey
high-rise
in
Durban
not
once
but
thrice!
Good
fun
Talking
about
the
stunts,
Saif
Ali
Khan
who
is
currently
shooting
in
Bangkok
for
a
Yash
Raj
film
says,
“Yes,
I
did
the
stunts
in
Race
myself.
Things
are
pretty
safe
nowadays
but
a
cable
can
always
snap,
so
jumping
off
serious
heights
is
a
bit
worrying
but
that"s
the
challenge
and
fun,
I
suppose.
It"s
not
the
first
time
I
am
attempting
a
stunt
myself.
I
have
done
stunts
before
on
my
own
but
this
is
the
first
time
I
did
it
with
cables
and
slightly
high-tech
stuff
so
it
was
good
fun."
Wasn"t
he
ever
scared
at
doing
such
a
stunt
for
the
first
time?
“I
think
I
was
scared
a
little
every
time
but
that
was
the
challenge," says
the
brave
Leo.
Big
jump
Producer
Ramesh
Taurani
from
Tips
says,
“When
Saif
insisted
on
doing
all
the
stunts
himself
initially,
I
was
quite
scared.
So
I
was
present
on
the
sets
during
the
shooting
whenever
he
would
shoot
stunts
so
that
no
mishap
occurred.
I
personally
checked
the
cables
and
everything
else
as
I
was
very
worried.
Saif
had
to
fall
from
the
terrace
of
a
22-floor
building
and
it
was
a
long
jump.
Race
is
an
action
thriller
and
the
story
of
two
brothers
(Saif
and
Akshaye
Khanna).
Its
much
bigger
and
better
than
any
film
Tips
has
produced."
Saif
game
Director
Mustaan
from
duo
Abbas-Mustaan
adds,
“Action
director
Allan
Amin,
Saif,
Rameshji
and
we
had
discussed
the
stunt
sequence
in
Mumbai.
In
the
beginning,
we
were
all
a
bit
apprehensive,
as
Saif
has
never
jumped
off
a
high
rise
before.
So
Saif
said
we
will
try.
He
was
game.
It"s
always
better
to
do
your
stunts
yourself
as
then
we
can
shoot
some
great
close
ups.
Audiences
today
know
when
we
are
using
a
body
double.
Only
long
shots
are
possible
with
doubles.
In
Race,
because
Saif
was
doing
the
stunts
himself
we
have
some
great
action
shots.
When
we
reached
the
high-rise
everyone
except
Saif
was
scared.
He
was
brave.
Then
Allan
showed
him
how
to
do
it
using
a
stuntman
of
his.
He
showed
Saif
and
us
it
was
safe,
only
then
were
we
reassured.
Allan
used
his
winching
machine
to
control
the
wind
so
Saif
wouldn"t
go
on
the
side.
There
were
four
cameras
for
the
shot.
It
took
a
full
day
to
shoot."
Mustaan
says,
“The
jumping
off
the
building
was
not
the
only
stunt
Saif
did.
After
his
first
jump,
Saif
wasn"t
satisfied
so
he
did
it
two
more
times
till
he
thought
it
was
perfect.
Saif
also
done
an
action
sequence
in
air
balloons
at
a
height
of
400
ft.
He
told
us
if
he
could
jump
off
such
a
tall
building
he
felt
confident
enough
to
do
other
stunts
himself."