Zayed's height of dedication

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Nadia

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Posted: 19 years ago

Zayed Khan

If his wife Malaika and parents Sanjay and Zarine Khan had known what Zayed was going to do for a particular scene in Rocky — The Rebel, that scene would never have happened.

The scene in question is the opening shot of the film (to be precise, a song), where Zayed stands on a makeshift parapet of the top floor of a 40-storey building that's still under construction.

Producer Shyam Bajaj could easily have employed a double, but Zayed insisted on doing the shot himself. The shot was filmed in Hiranandani Complex, Powai.

Balancing act

Said a source, "The risk was compounded as the dimensions of the parapet were not too big. The shot was very risky. That day, a strong breeze was blowing too, which made it tough for one to balance on that parapet. There was no safety precaution taken from below either, so God forbid had Zayed had a fall. When you are on the 40th floor, koi precaution kaam nahin karega. Ek galat step aur..."

When we spoke to Zayed, he was in South Africa shooting for Anubhav Sinha's Cash, Zayed said that he did that scene simply because the script demanded it. "There was a need in the opening song itself to show Rocky doing something crazy, so I did it."

Straight ahead

Didn't he feel intimidated, especially when he looked down? Not really, says the Khan. "I like to do most of my stunts myself. For this one, I did ponder a while, but decided not to use a double because I was confident that I could pull it off. So there was no question of feeling scared. The golden rule for conquering your fear of heights is that you must look straight and not down. I simply followed that."

And so Zayed told his family about the stunt only after it had been completed. "I didn't want them to get a heart attack!"

What is Rocky — The Rebel about?

The film tells the tale of a rebel (Zayed Khan) going through turbulent times and the questions he asks society about truth, morality and justice. He wants things around him to improve.

And when that doesn't happen, in spite of his earnest ways, he has only one option: turning into a rebel with a cause.

As a result, the relationship between Rocky and his father deteriorates, even as Rocky continues in his endeavour to change the world. And then, one night changes it all. Suresh Krissna has directed the film, and it also stars Isha Sharvani, Minissha Lamba and Rajat Bedi.