One of the most memorable moments in Mani Ratnam’s Raavan is the dramatic climax where Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s character Ragini jumps from a high cliff into a deep ravine to prevent her husband Dev from killing her captor Veera.
While the scene looked seamless on screen, the scene was actually performed by Aishwarya’s actor, Sanober Pardiwala, who has now revealed that the scene almost ended in disaster.Taking to Instagram, Sanober shared a behind-the-scenes video from the 2010 film and narrated how unexpected complications left her stranded halfway down a cliff during the sequence.Sharing the clip, she wrote: “150 feet. 3.5 seconds. One trick I will never forget.”
During this cliff jump by Ravan, an unexpected complication occurred that left me hanging in the middle of the cliff for about 30 minutes. She explained that she decided to revisit the incident to highlight the less obvious side of stunt work, which is dealing with situations when carefully planned sequences of events take an unexpected turn.“In stunts, preparation isn’t just about executing the mission. It’s also about what you do when the unexpected happens.
Stay calm. Control your breathing. Trust the safety systems. “Conserve your energy,” she wrote. Recalling the tense experience, she added: “And that’s what I did — hanging next to a waterfall, breathing shallowly, remaining completely still… and looking out at a view that very few people will ever see from that perspective.”
“Her calmness eventually helped her get through the ordeal, and the stunt later earned her a nomination for the prestigious Taurus World Stunt Awards.
Reflecting on the experience, Sanober concluded, “Some stunts test the body. Some stunts test the mind. This game tests both.”Raavan is directed by Mani Ratnam, with special music by AR Rahman and starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
Abhishek Bachchan
And Vikram, Priyamani and Ravi Kishan in the lead roles. The film was released simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil
Prithviraj Sukumaran
He played the role of Abhishek Bachchan in the Tamil version, while Vikram appeared in both versions.Raavan was released in 2010 and received mixed reviews from critics and audiences. It also marks the first on-screen collaboration between Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan after their marriage in 2007.
