Om Shanti Om fire scene with Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika left Sham Kaushal crying on set: ‘I felt I’d have a heart attack’

Action director Sham Kaushal opened up about shooting the intense climax sequence of Om Shanti Om, which involved a film set engulfed in fire.

Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanti Om remains a favourite among many of his fans. But did you know how tough it was to shoot the climax sequence of the film, which had Shah Rukh's Om trying to save Deepika Padukone’s Shantipriya from being engulfed by fire on set? Action director Sham Kaushal recalled the shoot of those scenes and said he was very stressed for the safety of the entire cast and crew. (Also read: Prithviraj Sukumaran reacts to Ibrahim Ali Khan facing flak: ‘If Shah Rukh Khan, Mammootty, Mohanlal can be criticised…’)

What Sham said

Shah Rukh Khan in a still from the climax sequence of Om Shanti Om.

During an interview with Hindi Rush, Sham was asked about this particular action sequence in the film. He said in Punjabi, “No VFX was used around that time, so we had to light the fire on that set. It had Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, three camerapersons, and around 60 members of my unit inside the set. So, there were a total of 100 people inside the set that was on fire.”

‘I felt I’d have a heart attack’

He went on to add, “I was immensely stressed out during that shoot, I don't know how to explain it because one had to be careful. One had to make sure to put off the fire within seconds of lighting it. If someone commits a mistake anywhere, it could end on a disastrous note. I swear by God, there were so many times I’d go to the side and start crying on set. I felt I’d have a heart attack.”