- Amitabh Bachchan faced an untrained tiger during the shoot of Khoon Pasina in 1976
- Stuntman Mohan Baggad performed tiger stunts for Amitabh after the original double was replaced
- Bachchan was motivated to do the tiger scene after learning of his son Abhishek's birth
Amitabh Bachchan has long been known for taking on challenging roles and performing some of the most daring stunts of his era. His larger-than-life screen persona often extended beyond the camera. One such incident reportedly occurred soon after the birth of his son, Abhishek Bachchan. A stuntman has now recalled how the actor ended up facing an untrained tiger on set.
In an interview with Hindi Rush, veteran action master Mohan Baggad said, “I did a stunt for Amitabh Bachchan in Khoon Pasina, which had a tiger. The original stunt guy for Amit ji had a dark complexion. So, the makers thought it wouldn't work. The director asked Veeru Devgan (action director) if one of his team members can do it instead. He asked me if I would do it. I said yes though I was scared since it was with a tiger.”
He added, "I was asked not to face the tiger. If it hit me with its paw, it could mutilate my face! After doing a few shots, I got used to it. So, I did the scene for the next two to three days. When Amit ji saw me, he also got encouraged and said, ‘I'd do the scene too.'"
The stuntman revealed that Big B's newfound courage came from the news he received that day, February 5, 1976, when he learned that he had become a father to Abhishek Bachchan.
"We were shooting in Kandivali, and he got a call saying, ‘Aap ke ghar mein ladka paida hua hai.' So, he said, ‘Ye sher hai toh main bhi sher hu. Mere ghar pe ek sher paida hua hai.‘ So, he also gave some nice shots.”
Mohan Baggad recalled that he did take on the tiger in Khoon Pasina. However, the animal eventually overpowered him during the shoot, causing his head to hit the ground and leaving Mohan unconscious. He faced another difficult moment while performing a tiger stunt for Amitabh Bachchan in Rakesh Kumar's 1979 action-comedy Mr Natwarlal.
“The tiger hit me with its paw, so I still have injury marks on my face. Another friend of mine even got 10-12 stitches,” said Mohan. “The tigers weren't trained. Only their mouths were stitched. But since they'd get angry by that, they'd attack everyone,” he added.
Mohan Baggad shared that Dharmendra was another actor known for performing risky animal sequences himself rather than relying on a stunt double. He revealed that Dharmendra shot the leopard scenes in Mohan Segal's 1979 action film Kartavya himself and did not use a double.