The Big Break
His big break came when Prabhu and Seeman encouraged him to become a Stunt Director and recommended him. Seeman bestowed on him the title Stun Siva.
Interestingly, he was introduced by R.B. Choudhury in 1996 as the Stunt Director for Love Today (Tamil) and the same year, he bagged Subhakankshalu (Telugu). And the rest as they say is history.
Stylish Stun Siva
Stun Siva is not just good at what he does, he adds a creative touch to action sequences.
“In Nandha for instance, I had the character shake his head every time after beating an opponent. At that time, there were people who laughed but later when it appeared onscreen, this was appreciated and set a trend. I try to incorporate a lot of new kick and fall styles in my work.”
Working With Big Stars
Stun Siiva has worked with the biggest stars in the South Indian industry:
Tamil
Rajinikanth, Kamal Hassan, Vijay, Ajit, Vikram, Suriya, Gautham Karthik, Prabhu, Mohanlal, Mammooty, Sarathkumar, Jayam Ravi, Jai and others.
Telugu
Chiranjeevi, Allu Arjun, Balakrishnan, Venkatesh, Nagarjuna, Vishnu, Jr. NTR, Ravi Teja, Mahesh Babu, Ram Charan, Manoj, Prabhas and others.
Malayalam & Kannada
Mammooty, Mohanlal, Dileep, Suresh Gopi, Jayaram. Punith Rajkumar.
Hindi
Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn.
He believes that the secret to his success is his ability to match the body language of each hero and also to execute stunts with finesse. His work as a villain in Kamalhassan’s blockbuster Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu is one that he recalls with pride.
A Good Equation
With Leading Film-makers
He has the ability to bring alive the vision of the director in every action sequence delivering the right kind of action whether it’s realistic or larger than life.
Fear Does Not Exist
Stun Siva says, “I have no fear while performing or choreographing stunts. I take calculated risks and take the necessary safety precautions.”
- In Pudiya Mannargal, I rode a bike from the back of the bus to the front and though this was highly risky, I managed the perfect shot.
- For the Telugu film Shakthi, I used a glider to personally can some shots.
- He also undertook a very risky shot for a Jayam Ravi starrer where he had to get under a moving truck in a go-kart and shoot.
Audience Expectations
“Today’s audiences have exposure to international cinema and their expectations are nothing less. I regularly update the repertoire of my skills as well as those of my fighters. I use a lot of foreign fighters in my stunt acts and some from Jackie Chan’s company as well. Today, I can proudly say that we are at a level on par with Hollywood, if not better.”