Daredevil Bachchan

At 67, his energy and daredevilry will make your jaws drop. For Amitabh Bachchan actions speak louder than words, which is why he still insists on performing his own stunts. He refused to opt for a double in

Teen Patti

and ended up impressing Armin Sauer, the Germany-based action-director of the film, when he fell off a speeding car after it hit him.

That’s not all. Venkat Subramaniam, his character, had to hold on to the front windshield while the car raced a few hundred meters before braking to a stop abruptly and throwing him on the road. Sauer wanted to go with Bachchan’s duplicate but the veteran actor insisted on doing the shot himself.

And after some persuasion, the German gave in, albeit reluctantly, and only after ensuring that the stuntman in the car had rehearsed the shot to perfection. Bachchan even refused the security of wireworks and cables and gave a perfect first take.

Confirming that Bachchan did all the stunts himself, director Leena Yadav admits that Sauer who’s used working with the body doubles of stars abroad, was surprised that Bachchan was ready to take the risk himself. “He took all the precautions to ensure that Amitji didn’t suffer even a scratch,” says a relieved Yadav.

Sauer describes Bachchan as a “professional, committed actor who’s still keen to improve every day despite being in the business for decades”.