Action sequences generally come with its share of tense moments.
On the London schedule of Sajid Nadiadwala's new production, Housefull 2, things got so intense during a fighting scene between Akshay Kumar and John Abraham that it literally took their breath away.
The two hunks were enacting the first of their few conflicts in the Sajid Khan helmed comedy.
"Their verbal duel reaches to an extent that they lunge for each other's throats. And in the scuffle they were portraying for the camera, they both were injured for real, "reveals a crew member.
Confirming the news, Sajid Khan said, "The idea was to give the audiences a dose of face-offs between the heroes. Like Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra, or Vinod Khanna in the older films, which we don't get to see on screen these days."
Point out to him that it could have been made safer the filmmaker attributes it to a "very tight close-up" of their clash. "That's why I needed that kind of reactions and expressions from both of them.
When you see the movie, you'll get the feeling that they are suffocating each other because they actually are, " reiterates Sajid.
He further explains, "I could see that John's eyes had become red and watery, while Akshay's face had turned red.
Even when I called 'cut' they didn't realise how hard they had grappled each other. Akki was feeling breathless for a few minutes and his fingers had left marks on John's neck. We had to cover those marks with make- up when we were ready to resume shooting."
Not surprisingly, it turned out to be a perfect take for the director. "In this scene, there's no play acting, it's as real as real can get.
You'll know in an instant when one guy is squeezing someone's neck in a false manner and when he's doing if for real. That's why, when you see the film, you'll be able to understand better why it couldn't be shot any other way, " he reiterates.
Interestingly, there's one more major fight sequence between Akshay and John in the film, apart from a few scuffles.
