Action for the sake of action is like an item number: Kabir Khan

When action is detached from sentiments, it only serves as a promotional tool in the movie, much like an item number, says filmmaker Kabir Khan, who has pulled off a pivotal eight-minute-long continuous war sequence in his latest Chandu Champion. The much-talked about shot highlights the ‘emotional drama’ of the story instead of showing action for the sake of it, said Khan, adding that they shot it at 9,000 feet above sea level in Kashmir’s Aru Valley.

fter four days of rehearsal, the section was filmed in one day which featured fighter jets, bomb blasts, and intense combat scenes.

“I have always believed that action for the sake of action never really works, then it’s an item number. Action works when the emotional drama and arc of the story moves forward with the action.

“The start of the action and the end of the action has to move and that in this film (Chandu Champion) is huge. It’s one of the most pivotal points in the plot,” the filmmaker said in an interview.

Inspired by the life of India’s first Paralympic gold medalist Murlikant Petkar, Chandu Champion stars Kartik Aaryan in the title role as a man across ages and phases, including being an Indian Army soldier, a wrestler, a boxer, a 1965 war veteran and a swimmer. Khan, known for directing Ek Tha Tiger, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, 83 and Kabul Express earlier, said the underlying reason for shooting the eight-minute uncut sequence was to stay close to his protagonist and experience the events unfold through his eyes.