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Living on the edge

Stunt choreographer Peter Heine is a true survivor who has battled all odds for the on-screen heroes

ACTION HERO Peter Heine thrives on stunts

He kicks, cooks, speaks many languages and does his own stunts. As a stuntman and choreographer for many years in the business, he has risked his life, limb and tooth. Peter Heine says he can never forget the day he burnt his back working as a stunt double for actor Arjun.

Here, he discusses his beginnings, his work and why he never ever wants his son to take up this job. As one chats up with Peter Heine, it's a discovery of a serene family man behind the action hero.

Though born and raised in India, his ancestors were Vietnamese. When his parents moved to India, his father took to teaching martial arts for a living and Peter followed in his footsteps. From being a stuntman, assistant and then a choreographer, Peter has worked in more than 90 films. The films that bought him instant fame were Run, Minnale and Anniyan. Now he is choreographing the fights for Rajnikant in Sivaji. He says, "I'm floored by Rajnikant both as an actor and as a person. He didn't mind doing all those action scenes; for his age it's quite tough but he managed. He gave me a bouquet and showered me with compliments; this is enough to make me go on for a few more years."

Ask Peter why he sounds pessimistic, and he quips, "Every morning when I leave my wife and kid for work, I'm not sure I'll return. This job is risky and I've fractured my bones in several parts of my body. I worked as a body double for Arjun in the Telugu remake of Mudhalvan and got my back burnt before I ran naked and jumped over the bridge. That day when I left home, I hadn't told my wife about the risky stunt. It was the most miserable moment of my life. The decision to do that scene was mine and I knew that my chance of survival was slim. I just asked the unit to finish it in a single take and did the scene with some gel on my body. When I was standing on the edge of the plank, I prayed and asked god to find someone like me to take care of my family. That I survived was the will of god. I'd never want my son to take up this work. I did it because I had no choice."

Shifting gears, he talks about his approach to work. "A number of differences crop up with the directors. But I don't agree to everything a director says. I go through the story, understand the characters and the situations and then do something logical. I argue and make my point clear. I don't pamper any egos."

Ask him if he his work doesn't glorify violence and he retorts, "It's all in the mind. All films in the world are replete with violence; why single me out? People watch actions films for entertainment. How long will people see romance and family drama? Violence is an integral part of films."

Currently, Peter is being inundated with offers. Apart from Sivaji, Sainikudu and Veerabhadra he has a few Tamil and Hindi films. He adds, "This talk about me becoming suddenly famous is wrong. I've gone through the worst in life before reaching here. If people can't handle it, it's their problem.."

Y. SUNITA CHOWDHARY

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