HYDERABAD: Stuntman Syed Imam, who has worked in some of the biggest hits in Tollywood and Bollywood, launched Telangana’s first bike-stunt academy. The daredevil, known for his diving stunts, perilous rides and spectacular jumps, talks about the scope of the profession, what it takes to be a stuntman, and more
Remember the iconic drug scene chase from Vishwak Sen-starrer Hit - The First Case? Well, that’s one of the many such brilliant scenes Syed Imam, professionally known as ‘Imran Rider’ has been a part of, rather lead from the front. The stuntman, who debuted in actor Sai Dharam Tej’s Thikka, went on to act in films such as RRR, Geetha Govindam, World Famous Lover, Pagal and Hit - The First Case (Telugu and Hindi). He is also a sought-after professional in Tamil and even Bhojpuri films. Who says the pan-India is limited to the actors and directors alone!
Imam’s life wasn’t all rosy (or thorny, if you will), always. “I had to be a breadwinner since my very childhood — I would earn my daily bread by supplying milk to people. I remember there were times that my only pair of slippers had worn off and had walked barefoot,” he says. Asked how he landed a job as a stuntman, he continues, “I once stumbled upon a video of a foreign stunt-rider on YouTube. I was curious and was overjoyed to know this was a form of livelihood for some.
I thought I could train myself and I did — albeit with a lot of falls and injuries. Then a friend of mine, who saw my skill, recommended my name to the makers of Thikka. It was more of a side character on a bike in a song, but I slowly started getting work after that and got a name for myself after Geetha Govindam.” He recently played NTR Jr.’s duplicate in the SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus RRR.
Describing what a job as a stuntman looks like, every day, he says, risk is the word that says it all. “For a stuntman, every single shot, retake, or even day, is a risk. Every time there’s a fight sequence, I know that I could hurt myself. This is why one of the most important abilities of a stuntman, apart from skill, is being sharp and smart. Your sense and reaction to things around you must be quick. You must be able to sense even the slightest breeze that whizzes past you,” he says.
Once back from a shoot, Imam spends his time in the gym and also nurses his wounds. “I would sometimes use petrol and perfume sprays for faster healing and relief, they work sooner on the injury. When in a profession like this, I can’t afford to go to a hospital on a regular basis — the bills are too much to afford,” he says, adding that he doesn’t stick to any diet. “Anything I eat, for the kind of workouts I do, even iron, will melt away,” he laughs.
While he learned through trial and error, he hopes others don’t have to take the same route. That gave birth to the idea of founding Telangana’s first bike-stunt academy. “I realised that you can learn with little to no injury. Not only will there be better safety gear, we also have machines that ensure the rider or his bike don’t even fall to the ground.”
The 25-year-old says that nobody in India has attempted a jump from a storey above the first floor, but he has. “It was for a Bhojpuri movie, where the bike was in the air, with nothing holding there. Hit and RRR had some of the riskiest stunts while a Tamil film had me jump on the bike from one floor to another, guided by the renowned Peter Hein. But my most memorable stunt would be the one I attempted in front of my parents for the very first time at my academy. My chest swelled with pride. They are always worried for me yet so supportive,” an emotional Imam says.
Before he signs off, he notes that no rich kid aims to be a stuntman. Speaking of the many challenges, he says, “It’s a poor man’s career. I believe the government can do a lot for us if they decide to. We also never get recognition despite the biggest risks we take, it’s only when we grow to be stunt masters are we recognised - but even then, it’s only coordination. Performing stunts here is a crime, if it could become a sport that is regulated, we could do a lot better.”