Exclusive: ‘I played Abhishek Bachchan’s body double,' Amritpal Singh

Actor Amritpal Singh who plays Abbas in Sooryavanshi has also been a body double to actors like Abhishek Bachchan and Ranveer Singh His father has worked as a stunt double for Amitabh Bachchan Amritpal speaks to middaycom about his latest release and his journey from being a stunt double to an action directorHow does it feel now that Sooryavanshi has finally released and is a hitIrsquom proud to be part of such a big film We always knew it will do well itrsquos a Rohit Shetty film and we were waiting since long Finally the film released at a perfect time we were supposed to release in March 2020 but we got Diwali this year What better than Diwali for a Rohit Shetty filmWhat was the waiting period likeI canrsquot tell you how anxious we were I would keep asking Rohit sirrsquos assistant directors who are my friends if they have any news because last NovemberDecember theaters opened so we were expecting a release Then the film was to release in April but again we had a lockdown This time we were praying the film releases on Diwali without any issues We are all relieved nowHow were you approached for the partI had worked with Rohit sir as a stunt man in Bol Bachchan Then I started working as an assistant action director in Simmba and Sooryavanshi I did the police station action sequences for Ranveer Singh in Simmba and at that time Rohit sir asked me to play Sadashiv Ranadersquos part in Simmba and I was surprised that he approached me for the part I knew that I wonrsquot have a role in the next cop universe because the character died in Simmba Suddenly I got a call from Vidhi marsquoam Rohit sirrsquos chief AD saying he wants me to play a pivotal role in Sooryavanshi a Muslim cop named Abbas She explained to me that Sooryavanshi is not a continuation of Simmba and Rohit sir believes in working with the same set of people even if people raise questions I instantly loved the character especially the mandirmasjid sequence I got goose bumps just listening to itYour father also worked as a stunt manhellipI was body double for Abhishek Bachchan in Bol Bachchan My dad was Mr Amitabh Bachchanrsquos body double When Abhishek got to know Irsquom Manjitrsquos son he called up his dad and Mr Bachchan said he wanted to meet me That was a surreal moment Rohit sir was so happy when I graduated to being an action director last year after all these years of being a stunt doubleWhat inspired you to be a stunt man despite seeing your dad face difficulties considering safety measures werenrsquot as stringent back thenTo be frank I never wanted to be a stunt man I used to hear all those stories and see risky stunts by my dad I wanted to be an actor I wanted to be in front of the camera Even as a stunt man whenever I got an opportunity though my screen presence was limited I would perform like Irsquom the superstar I had no backing after my father passed away and I knew the struggle period would be tough so I thought I can learn the tricks of the trade being a stuntmanAlso Read Sooryavanshi enters Rs 50 crore club mints Rs 2385 crore on Day 2 at the BO