- Sanober Pardiwalla is India's first successful Bollywood stuntwoman with over 20 years experience
- She has worked as a body double for stars like Kareena Kapoor Khan, Priyanka Chopra, and Deepika Padukone
- Sanober praised Shah Rukh Khan's memory, spatial awareness, and understanding of his physical limits
Veteran stuntwoman Sanober Pardiwalla, who has worked with several A-listers over the years, is currently back in the news for collaborating with Kareena Kapoor Khan in Meghna Gulzar's Daayra. Sanober spoke candidly about the preparation that goes into training actors for stunts and the risks involved. She has worked with Shah Rukh Khan in Veer Zaara, Dunki, and and as a body double in Gunday with Priyanka Chopra, sharing insights into how they approach their work.
Sanober Pardiwalla told Variety India, "Priyanka Chopra is bold and bindass, but she is also very practical. She knows her limits and boundaries. She understands how much she should push herself and when it isn't worth doing so. She knows when to let a professional do her job."
Speaking of Shah Rukh Khan, she said, "Shah Rukh is a wonderful person to work with. I have worked with SRK since Veer Zaara. He has a phenomenal memory. Even if I meet him after five years, he remembers my name and the work I have done. He is highly knowledgeable and a very grounded, down-to-earth human being."
"I really respect him and value the trust he has in me. While we were doing the underwater sequence in Dunki, the level of trust he showed is something I cannot put into words. I am very grateful for that. He also has very good spatial awareness and understands risks. He knows his limits and knows how far he can push himself."
On being asked if she has ever felt that Shah Rukh Khan might be pushing himself too far, Sanober replied, "He is very wise about these things. He understands what he can do and what he can't."
On Working With Kareena Kapoor Khan
Sanober further revealed how it was different working with Kareena Kapoor Khan in Daayra, having earlier collaborated on 3 Idiots and Tashan.
She said, "I have done a lot of stunt work for Kareena. I started with films like Tashan and 3 Idiots, and it just continued from there. For Daayra, I did a lot of car-driving sequences for Kareena, along with some action sequences. I did a little work on Laal Singh Chaddha as well."
On being asked about actors insisting on doing their own stunts, Sanober Pardiwalla concluded, "There isn't any doubt that an individual might be able to do something without training. However, you cannot replace years of experience, knowledge and skills with 20 minutes of hurried training. That is where they hurt themselves."
About Sanober Pardiwalla
She is widely recognised as India's first and most successful Bollywood stuntwoman. With a career spanning over two decades, she has worked as a body double for A-listers such as Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Alia Bhatt, and Kareena Kapoor Khan. She has contributed to over 200 Bollywood productions, including Dhoom 2, Raavan, Bang Bang, and Shamshera, to name a few.
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