Daydreams of Stardom and Nightmares of Failure

Unknown and underpaid, the stuntmen of Bollywood risk life and limb to make it in the world’s biggest film industry.

Bollywood’s biggest blockbusters are often action-packed with death-defying scenes. But behind the big screen are the stunt men and women who risk life and limb to give these films the ultimate thrill.

With hardly any safety measures in place on set, many of these unknown and underpaid performers often end up injured – or worse. With no insurance, the tragic consequences of injury leave many penniless, disabled and unable to support themselves or their families.

Aamir Khan: Forrest Gump gets Bollywood treatment

 

The American film Forrest Gump won Oscars and has been hailed by many as a classic piece of cinema since its release in 1994.

Now an Indian version starring film legend Aamir Khan is set to show later this month. Laal Singh Chaddha follows very similar themes to the 1994 film, weaving through key chapters of India's history.

Mr Khan spoke to the BBC's Matthew Amroliwala, and told him how the iconic "life is like a box of chocolates" line was adapted for Indian audiences.

Arrests and defamation: Bollywood in the dock in Modi’s India

 

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan is at the heart of the latest case of Indian authorities taking Bollywood to task.

Aryan Khan, the son of one of India’s biggest movie stars, Shah Rukh Khan, was charged with possessing and trafficking drugs. We take a look at the drug bust that tells a story of the conflict between the Indian authorities and Bollywood.

The Stuntmen of Bollywood

They are unknown and underpaid, but Bollywood's stunt performers take life-threatening risks to entertain movie fans.

They risk their lives, jumping from high-rise buildings, playing with fire, driving at breakneck speeds.

Their dangerous antics are on the big screen for all to see but most movie viewers will never learn their real identities.

India's stunt performers put their bodies on the line for the country's biggest film stars, for a meagre wage.

"If action films are a hit, the main reason is the stuntman but no one knows him," says Javid Gauri, a stuntman from Saharanpur in India's north.

Aamir Khan: The Snake Charmer

Can Aamir Khan create lasting change in Indian society or is he just another Bollywood star playing the role of a hero?

Aamir Khan is one of the most popular and influential Bollywood actors in Indiatoday. He became a star of Hindi cinema in the 1980s, and his greatest commercial successes have been the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time.

In 2012, Khan's career took an unexpected turn.

Together with a childhood friend, he created a TV series called Satyamev Jayate (Truth only prevails) which became the first prime-time TV show in India to expose the country's most critical social issues - from rape to female foeticide and dowry killings.

Khan was used to portraying macho men on a quest for vengeance and belongs to an industry accused of denigrating women and encouraging sexual violence.

Why is art being dragged into Kashmir conflict?

Fighting in Kashmir between Indian and Pakistani troops has become a cultural war too.

Indian films made in Bollywood are being boycotted by major cinemas in Pakistan.

That came after Pakistani actors were banned from working in India.

A group of Indian film producers say they are showing solidarity with troops fighting in Kashmir.

So fans are polarised and film budgets hit.

While in Kashmir, the United Nations is calling for calm, renewed fighting is forcing thousands of villagers from their homes.