It is blazing hot here. We are in the middle of nowhere. I have no idea when this heat will stop pricking Me. I am called for My Shot. It is a close-up. We are filming an action sequence, the Climax. I enacted a 'Real' stunt. I had to enter the Truck while it was moving. The crew clapped for Me. I got charged-up. I gave the shot twice, you know, one for safety. I felt all proud of Myself. I am complimenting Myself in My own thoughts. Those Mma Classes really helped. I am feeling this invincibility. This great power in Me for which I can rule the world. And then I go and do My touch-up for My next shot. While putting on My Make-Up I hear the Fight Master yelling, "Roll Camera … Action!" I put My sounds to vision and see something … Something I can't conceive to be real. I see a man, in black, totally covered, so his face can't be seen, jumping off a bike on to a moving car at the speed of 60kms/per hour! I couldn't imagine the sight but I saw a man bearing his body and life on the line, for someone else. I see a man risking all that he has for someone else. I see a man not being a man anymore but a Hero. An Unsung Hero … Ladies and Gentlemen meet the Stunt Doubles of Our Glorious Industry …
I love action. Everything about it is amazing! Given a choice, I would love to do the action genre over and over again because I once heard that a Punch is a Punch in any language. And the masses love a guy who kicks ass and takes names. But behind every legacy there is a story. And sometimes those stories are untold or even forgotten. But I want to tell this story. Even if the story consists of a few words. I want the world to know that behind every great action superstar there are a 100 stunt doubles who risk their lives every time through death-defying stunts, all for the sake of entertainment. I thought My love for cinema was beyond any other but today I say that compared to these True Action Heroes I am nothing but just a blimp on the radar. I mean these guys get no face value, no proper recognition and not even a quarter of the salary a superstar gets, Yet, they risk their lives and do these great action stunts so that we guys look good on screen! I mean, come on! What else can I say except, "Kudos To You Guys!" And My deepest gratitude to all of you! Without you, we Action Heroes are nothing!
I know how it feels to be like the unsung hero. I mean, I have been there. You know the moment of eternal sacrifice. Where you let go of doing things for yourself and actually put every remaining breath in your body for a greater cause even when you know you won't be remembered for it. That is what these guys do everyday. Whether it is falling of buildings, putting themselves on fire or even getting their asses kicked by the heroes, they never stop doing what they love doing the most, their stunts. I ask the same question to all these stunt men and women every time I meet them, "Why do it? Why risk your lives even when you know you won't get the credit for it?" And every time I get the same reply. "We love doing this! This is what we are and we live the dream everyday!" No wonder they are the True Action Heroes in My Eyes …
One day, I would love to do these stunts too. Would love the world to Call Me Brave and daring. It is My dream to have a non-stop, no-cut, 8mins 40seconds action sequence, like Tony Ja's in The Protector in which he climbs 8 floors beating up bad guys one after the other. Even I want to play The Punisher and have 3 Steady-Cams circling around Me when I deliver Punches which go through skulls. But until these Dreams of Mine turn into realities I want these Unsung True Action Heroes to do what they do best because they make our Films look good! I am very happy that for the last couple of years hollywood has initiated Stunt Awards and it gives these Brave Men and Women the Respect they truly deserve! Just how Soldiers risk their lives to defend our borders, these men and women do the same for us, the guys who look good during the close-ups. I confess, I am no Brave Soul and in some countries, I may even be called a coward. I am petrified of such daring stunts! And I still don't have the courage to do what these guys do. I am just the guy who looks heroic on-screen. So before I go I wanna say that the next time when You see Me in An Action Film executing those glorious scenes, remember, that there are a 100 others, during the same scene, risking for Me when I do nothing in return for them. In My Eyes, these Brave Men and Women will always be the True Action Heroes …
This is Me, Mahaakshay Chakraborty and I am the Voice Of The Voiceless.
With All My Might,
Your No.1 Fan,
Mahaakshay Chakraborty.
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