Macho onscreen, bruised in reality

[1]

Action and herogiri are essential to make an actor a star in Bollywood. But the spate of action sequences takes a toll with many actors battling long-standing health-related issues.

Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan have knee trouble, John Abraham fractured his fingers during the shooting of Force, Abhishek Bachchan hurt himself during the shoot of an action sequence recently, Salman Khan too finally had surgery in the US after bearing the pain for many years.
So, would these superstars cease to be stars without the display of on-screen machoism? And does this show of strength prove them as professionals committed to their work and their fans?
“As a fan, when you get to know that your favourite action hero film is out, of course you expect certain scenes in the film which are trademark of the star. After all, that’s what action heroes and action films are all about. But having said that, who doesn’t believe that these actors are human beings, with larger than life personalities,” says Aman Khan, 24, a movie buff, and Salman Khan fan.
Also, according to critics, the competition is tough, even if the actor is at the peak of his career, he has to make efforts to stay at the top by giving it whatever it takes. Film critic Rajiv Masand feels there’s nothing unusual about a hero nursing an injury or hurting himself while on shoot. Even Daniel Craig hurt his tooth during the shoot of a Bond film, he points out. “Coping with health-related issues and opting for body doubles don’t make a star less of a hero. And by going public about their health problems, they are only establishing themselves as humans and connecting more with their fans,” he says, adding, “I believe that even audiences are mature enough to understand that.”
But according to personal trainers, stars often tend to take time to address their health issues when it comes to their professional commitments.
“Often their commitments take long and they have to delay their medical treatments, though they get special tips to go about their ‘usual work’,” says Satya, personal fitness trainer to many Bollywood biggies.
“An unwell star doing a stunt adds to the curiosity of the audiences. And they have a good team and body doubles to manage risky acts,” Rajiv says.