Born in 1987, Chandra Pant started his career as a stuntman in 2008 and later ventured into fight direction. But this national player in taekwondo, gymnastics, and boxing had actually come to Kathmandu with an aim to become a doctor.
Pant, who grew up watching Hollywood and Bollywood action movies, was inspired by the action scenes. His love for sports and the film industry made him change his career path and persuaded him to build a career in Nepali film industry. He has directed fight scenes in over 60 Nepali as well as Bhojpuri films like Raavan, Suntali, Lazza, Dreams, and Karkhana to name a few. He has won various awards like NEFTA Film Award in 2011 and Box Office Filmfare Award in 2015.
In conversation with Republica’s Prasansha Rimal, Pant talks about his journey so far, and what kept him going despite the many hiccups along the way.
What inspired you to become a stuntman?
I had come to Kathmandu to give entrance examination for MBBS after completing my high school in Andhra Pradesh, India. As I was physically fit, many people used to tell me to build a career in the film industry. I wanted to give it a try so I decided to go to a movie shoot and see what happens. When I went to the shoot, I liked the environment and was persuaded to play the role of a body double and eventually I pursued my career in this field.
What are the technical challenges of working as a stuntman or a fight director in the Nepali film industry?
Our industry still lacks behind when it comes to the use of equipment for fight direction. Stuntmen in Nepal still can’t show their faces while performing stunts for the movie because we still don’t have the technique of face masking like in Hollywood movies. Fight directors here still follow the same old pattern of stunts taught by their teachers instead of coming up with different creative ideas. Cardboards are still used in the Nepali film industry instead of air bags. We can hardly guarantee the safety to Nepali stuntman and fight directors and this may also be because of the expensive price of various safety equipments used during stunts.
Beyond the lights, camera, and action
How has fight direction changed over the years?
In the past couple of years, the action pattern has changed and improved in Nepali film industry. We now use graphics and animation to make the stunts look more realistic. Previously, fight sequences used to be created watching Hindi films but now our stunts are more inspired by Hollywood movies and Matrix scenes.
How do you come up with a fight scene for a movie?
Fight scenes are created according to the flow of the dialogue. Fight scenes are choreographed as soon as the script is prepared. The script itself has a space separated for a fight scene. According to the environment and conversation with the characters, a fight scene is choreographed from beginning to the end. While choreographing a fight scene you need to identify what type of fight scene you want to portray.
How has your experience been so far?
I started working as stuntman in 2008 and stared fight directing in 2012. Over the years, my experience has been bittersweet. It requires money to create a fight scene in the movie and people here don’t seem to understand this fact. Fight artists who have worked with me have never been injured but I have fractured my right hand during a shoot. People have eventually started to become more careful about safety issues. Stuntmen nowadays don’t just get into any movie without analyzing the safety protocols and have advanced knowledge in martial arts. But it is still hard to earn a decent living as a stuntman as the pay is not good.
How would you describe a perfect fight scene?
There is no such thing as a perfect scene because perfection is subjective. But I feel I have created a perfect scene during a shoot when the stunt turns out exactly as it had been choreographed during the rehearsals. But if I am not provided with all the props according to my concept in the set then perfection will be hard to achieve.
Where can one start from if they want to pursue career in this field?
First of all, if anyone wants to come into this field they need to realize the fact that this is a dangerous profession and since it is not a developed concept in Nepal they will have to work hard and try to sustain their life on a low income. Along with that mindset, you also need to have a strong body. It would be better to come into this field if you have martial arts training and can perform stunts. You will also have to learn to convince a fight director that you can perform stunts before you get selected for the role.
