Mauritius Officials Denied Akshay Kumar Permission to Shoot Dangerous Stunt

The scene required the superstar and Lisa Haydon to sit on a couch, which was attached to a helicopter as it flew over the sea. However, the authorities in Mauritius, where the film is extensively shot, declined them permission to shoot the scene as they found it too dangerous.

Director Abhishek Sharma says, "They felt a stunt like this needed a pilot who could manouvre the chopper with precision, as an error of even a fraction of a second could prove fatal. And they didn't have one who could manage that. Moreover, Akshay didn't want to use cables as it would dilute the impact of the scene."

Eventually, the scene was shot in Cape Town, South Africa, just as the actor had envisioned it — without safety cables. Of course, during the shoot, three teams of diving experts were present on the shore, ready to move into the water in case of an accident. "Everything went well and Akshay even popped a bottle of champagne on the couch at the end of the scene," smiles the director. The film, produced by Murad Khetani and Ashwin Varde, also features Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor and Piyush Mishra.

The Shaukeens, produced by Cine1 Studios, Cape of Good Films and Ashwin Varde Productions, releases November 7.