Jumping off high-rise buildings, throwing punches at the baddies, walking on fire–it’s all in a day’s work for Bollywood‘s stunt performer. While it was always a male-dominated profession, women have slowly but surely made a place for themselves. To celebrate the power of womanhood, ETimes bring you the real-life story of stuntwoman, Geeta Tandon who has risen to fame by taking a fall for actors like Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Parineeti Chopra, and more. Apart from being a part of hit films like ‘Udta Punjab’, ‘Chennai Express’ and ‘Singham’, Geeta is also a mother to a daughter and a son. Excerpts from a conversation:

How did you become a stuntwoman?

I was married off at the age of 15 and soon became a mother; I had no life. One day I walked out of my in-laws’ house with my kids. I was completely blank about what I was going to do next but knew that I needed a job. The first job that I got was as a background dancer at weddings. After some time, I met a hairdresser at a film shoot, who suggested I try action and stunts because of my tomboyish look. That’s how I landed here.

Did you get support to do so?


I had to look after my kids and work at the same time, it wasn’t like anyone was there to help me.

How has your experience in the industry so far been?


I have met a lot of good and bad people here and realised that if you are good the industry will be good to you and vice versa.

Were you ever scared of doing stunts?


Everyone is scared of something at some point in their life. I could have either stayed back in my abusive marriage or provided a better life for my kids; I had no time to be scared. I have been injured many times. Once, during an ad shoot, I sustained burns on the face. Post that, I also fractured my spine. But this is my life now.

Go on…


My kids were my greatest strength. I always wanted to buy a house of my own for my kids and now I own a quaint apartment in Malad in Mumbai.

Film stunts have always been performed by men…


Hanging from cable wires, jumping out from a moving car, walking on fire–these things are physically tiring, and this job and not meant for everyone. Being a woman in this profession comes with a lot of challenges, especially post-childbirth. Then there’s the monthly cycle to consider too. So, it’s a lot more difficult for a woman.

How did you manage?


I came without a background and had to learn from scratch. But I have met a lot of stuntmen who helped me because I really wanted to learn and earn.

Have you faced any gender discrimination so far?


Nothing as such, but somehow it still exists subtly. For a few scenes, people still prefer stuntman over stuntwoman because they think that men can endure pain easily. Even I have done a lot of challenging shots but again it’s not an everyday profession.

What about pay disparity?


Absolutely not!

What’s your fondest memory of working with a star?


I have worked with a lot of celebs, so, it’s hard to pick. I recently worked with Sakshi Tanwar, who has been very nice to me, especially after finding out that I’m raising my kids alone. Be it on the sets or somewhere outside, she always came and spoke to me.