Daya Shankar Pandey recalls Shah Rukh Khan being thrown off motorbike during 'Swades' shoot: ‘Ashutosh Gowariker on set is like Hitler’

Actor Daya Shankar Pandey recently spoke about a shocking incident that occurred on the set of Ashutosh Gowariker’s film 'Swades'. He inadvertently started the motorcycle in the wrong gear, causing Shah Rukh Khan to fall off. Shah Rukh had already undergone surgery due to a previous accident. Daya feared that his career was over, but Shah Rukh handled the situation with grace.


Shah Rukh Khan's injury

At the time, Shah Rukh was already dealing with a serious back injury sustained while filming Shakti: The Power. Diagnosed with a prolapsed disc, he had tried several alternative treatments before undergoing a complex anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgery. Despite not being fully healed, he returned to the set of Swades.




Ashutosh asked Daya to ride the bike

In a recent interview with Friday Talkies, Daya Shankar Pandey opened up about the dangerous mishap on set that left him deeply shaken. He was required to take SRK on a bike ride, but he admitted he wasn’t very confident in riding. However, Ashutosh insisted that he ride the bike himself. Daya suggested that SRK could do it instead, but Ashutosh was firm. He explained that Shah Rukh’s character was returning from the US and was unfamiliar with the village setting.

“Ashutosh, on set, is like Hitler. I eventually told him that I hadn’t ridden a bike in a very long time, but he replied, ‘No, I know you’ll manage it. You have no option,’” he shared.


SRK's initial doubt about Daya's riding skills

SRK, observing him from the sidelines, seemed to sense his nervousness and asked if he truly knew how to ride. “SRK was sitting right there, watching me. I don’t know whether it was written all over my face or just a random intuition, but he called me by my character’s name and asked, ‘Mela Ram, will you be able to ride?’ I said, ‘Yes’. He then asked me to give him a ride,” Daya recalled.

When the motorcycle started, it jerked up, and SRK was thrown off. “I had let go of the bike and was shivering with fear. I was convinced that this was the end of my career. The entire atmosphere on set changed.”

The Jawan actor was still healing from his previous injury and had a physiotherapist present on set. Daya was so terrified that he couldn't even offer a helping hand. SRK calmly stood up, placed a reassuring hand on Daya’s shoulder, and said, “I knew you didn’t know how to ride a bike.” He then turned to the director and said, “Ashu, let’s take the shot.”

However, Gowariker was visibly upset and cast a sharp glance at Daya. SRK defused the tension by taking the blame, saying it was his fault for losing balance.

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