Over the years, Salman Khan has established himself as one of Bollywood’s biggest action stars, pulling off everything from gravity-defying jumps to intense combat scenes on screen. While audiences often cheer for these larger-than-life moments in theatres, the actor recently revealed that some of these sequences came dangerously close to turning into real-life accidents.In an interview with Variety India, Salman Khan candidly spoke about the emotional and physical pressure of filming high-risk action sequences, revealing that some stunts left him genuinely frightened and vulnerable.
Salman Khan recalls terrifying 80-foot jump during Jaagruti
The actor remembered a particularly nerve-racking experience while shooting for ‘Jaagruti’ in Udupi, where he had to leap off an 80-foot-high mountain for an action scene.Salman shared that the jump initially seemed manageable when viewed from below, but things became intimidating once he climbed to the top. Unlike regular stunt setups that used one or two safety boxes, this sequence required three layers of boxes along with a mattress because of the dangerous height.Recalling the moment, Salman said, “There was an 80-foot mountain with a stomach. So when I saw it from down, I thought, yeah, I can do this jump. Earlier, we used to get like one or two boxes to jump on, but this jump was a high jump. Like, so they put three layers of boxes for me and a mattress on top.”He further revealed that once he reached the top, the landing area looked impossibly small from that height, making him reconsider the stunt altogether.“So I said, ‘I’ve arrived now,’ and climbed up. From there, I couldn’t see the boxes because the stomach was there. I had to jump based on my judgment. I was not going to do that jump, but the crowd had already gathered there. So then going all the way down and saying that I will not do this jump would have proved to be very bad for my ego,” Salman admitted.The actor added that things took a dangerous turn when he slipped while taking the jump.“When I looked at the boxes, it looked like a matchbox from that height. I had to jump, so I took a run-up, came, and slipped on the gravel. My hair grazed the rock of the mountain, and I fell down,” he recalled.
Patthar Ke Phool stunt left Salman Khan unable to breathe
Salman Khan also spoke about another frightening incident while shooting for ‘Patthar Ke Phool’ near Mount Mary in Mumbai.The sequence required him to skate at high speed before jumping over stacked boxes. During the first attempt, the actor failed to clear the obstacle properly. Determined to get the shot right, Salman decided to try again — but the second attempt became even more dangerous.Recalling the mishap, he said, “Then I said, I’m going to do this once again. The camera was on the road on Mount Mary. So I had to come all the way from, there’s a building called Balmoral Hall, so from there I started skating.”However, Salman soon realised that he had gained too much speed while skating.“And I realised I had gathered too much speed, and I was going to cross everything. So I took that jump, and I could see the boxes going by. Then I could see the road, and I landed in a ditch right next to the camera,” he shared.The impact of the fall was so severe that the actor struggled to breathe afterward.“And after that, I couldn’t breathe for about a minute and a half because of the impact on my back,” Salman revealed.
Salman Khan opens up about fear behind action sequences
While Salman Khan has performed countless action scenes throughout his career, the actor’s revelations offered a glimpse into the risks and emotional pressure actors often face while shooting such sequences.Despite the fear and danger involved, Salman admitted that factors like public expectation, professional commitment, and even personal ego sometimes pushed him to complete stunts that he was hesitant to attempt.
