Behind the scene: Boss' action sequence

Nine months of meticulous preparation, 80 hours of manpower invested for seven days of exhausting shoot-- all for one eightminute climactic hand-to-hand combat. If this was not enough, the unit also faced the wrath of the sun, which was a scorching 48 degrees when they shot this action sequence for 'Boss' at a remote location near Bangkok. Stunt director Annal Arasu says his brief was simple. Anthony D'Souza, the film's director, told me to choreograph a stunt sequence that had the scale of an epic battle, just like the Mahabharata.

"Working towards that, I focussed on the characters, who were not superheroes, but ordinary people, so the fight didn't look artificial. That was why we incorporated hand-to-hand combats, fist fights, hand-blocks and thundering punches," says Arasu.

No body double was used and no special effects were incorporated. Instead, the actors, Akshay Kumar and Ronit Roy spent months working on their physique and preparing for the big fight . "As a result, we didn't over-shoot even one per cent," says the action director. "None of the scenes required more than four retakes."

Did they take any precautions? "Other than umbrellas to prevent us from the killing heat, none," he laughs. So did either of the actors get injured? Arasu admits that Ronit did.

He says they would begin their day at 5 am and shoot for over seven hours. "Akshay and Ronit had to take several breaks in between as the drill was physically exhausting," Arasu informs. However, the clash was free of blood and gore. Explains Annal, "When you are punched in the stomach or hit on the back, you don't bleed. If you do it is internal. It was a conscious effort to keep it that way; otherwise the scene wouldn't have any distinct personality."