Ajay Devgan and Kajol shot some really stunning action scenes recently in Mehboob Syudios for their forthcoming film, Toonpur Ka Superhero sometime back. Hollywood action director Jack Gill, whose work repertoire includes big action successes like the Spiderman and Superman series, The Rock and Terminator-2 was at the helm of the affairs.
It is learnt that while Kajol was a little apprehensive of doing the difficult action scenes, Jack managed to convince her to go ahead without fear.
“Kajol is quiet a lot like my wife in the sense that she does not want to do action. She likes love stories and drama. I kind of identify with her. She is a beautiful lady but I had to coax her to do the stunt with Ajay. It was just a single shot and was not very difficult but I could see fear in her eyes. She is not comfortable with it like Julia Roberts who does not like action at all. Julia had this fear of heights and I had to go slow with her. It took her a while to get used to it” Jack tells us.
Jack had Ajay’s image as an action hero before he began the actual shoot for the film. “But it took a while for him to get back to action since he has been out of it for sometime. He was sore for the first 3 to 4 weeks we had to work on him. He didn’t realize that would get so rigorous.” says Jack.
“We had something called the cage and along it the rest piece of equipment to make it believable. It lifts the actor high up in the air 20 to 30 meters and twists his body spiraling him up to the camera. He’s looking up at the camera as it is above him. Lifting the camera and actor as one piece of machinery can make anyone feel dizzy. It’s tough but he picked it up fast” reveals the action director.
But shooting in Mumbai has not been easy ride for Jack. Jack says, “We got cutting edge equipment from the US, which was first for any Bollywood film. It was a new technique for them and it was taxing too. Especially the manual hydraulic devices which can pull you up from one place and fly you across stage and land you right in front of the camera. It can be dangerous. If you don’t handle the rig properly it can break your legs.”
Currently shooting for Wild Hogs 2, Jack Gill says that Hollywood style action is fast picking up India. “I always thought Bollywood was just one area in Mumbai but when I came here I realized it was spread all over Mumbai.” But then did he have communication problems? “Well language was no issue. I work through gestures. There was no problem communicating with them. I have got used to the food here. But now food back home is going to taste strange since I am so used to the spicy food.” Jack concludes.