Sandalwood stuntmen turn bouncers for IPL, elections

BENGALURU: Every year when the Indian Premier League (IPL) season comes around, stuntmen from Sandalwood cheer. It isn’t because they are rabid fans of the T20 cricket tournament, although many of them enjoy the game, but their appreciation is more basic — it helps them earn a little more money.

Stuntmen generally live a hand-to-mouth existence in the film industry, employed as they are as daily-wage workers. However, during the IPL, they double as security guards and bouncers to protect players in the cashrich cricket tournament. They say they earn far more from this piece-meal work than they do in the film industry. This year, the assembly elections are an added bonus. Parties such as the

All India Mahila Empowerment Party

have hired about 30 of them as security personnel for political rallies and campaigns.

Umesh, a stuntman, says he has been employed by Dr

Nowhera Shaikh

’s MEP for the past 20 days. “I have worked alongside many stars including Sudeep and Darshan,” Umesh said. “Whenever I don’t get dates (film shooting days), I work as a bouncer. For this specific assignment (with MEP), I am paid Rs 1,000 for eight hours of work.” He said the BJP, Congress and JD(S) get police protection.

Umesh reveals the job is not as easy or glamorous as itlooks. Hisdaystarts at 5am with a three or four-hour gym session. Then there is the job of keeping hordes of selfie-seeking fans away from cricketers and political leaders. There is the constant danger of being attacked by fans or the crowd. And since they have neither union nor an association, they have to foot medical bills themselves. “If you ask me to choose between working as a stuntman or a bouncer, I’d choose working in films,” Umesh said.

Raju, known as Tiger Raju in stuntman circles, says their careers as stuntmen span only 10or 15 years. Also, they are employed a maximum 15 days a month — if they are lucky that is — and are paid about Rs 600 a day. Political parties and the IPL offers double and sometimes triple that sum, depending on the commission of middlemen.

“The competition is high and chancesof landing a meaty role in a movie are slim,” Raju said. “So we grab whatever work opportunities that come our way. Apart from the IPL and elections, we work at weddings too.” Mallikarjun, another stuntman, said they earn a decent wage at high-profile weddings and their job includes providing security and ensuring that receptions run smoothly.

And then there is the rowdy image which they have to deal with. They say the characters they play in most movies demand that they look like rowdies. So they wear their hair long and sport beards. “But we are not rowdies,” said Mallikarjun. “We are ordinary people working hard for a living.”

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