Salman Khan may be known today as Bollywood’s ultimate “Bhai,” but long before the superstardom, massive fan following, and larger-than-life screen presence, the actor was risking his life performing dangerous stunts on film sets with almost no fear.
In a recent interaction, Salman opened up about some terrifying experiences from the early years of his career and in typical Salman style, he narrated the stories casually, almost laughing about moments that could have gone horribly wrong.
“I’m turning 60 now and you’re talking about something I did 35 years ago,” Salman said while trying to recall the stunt sequences from his old films.
One of the craziest stories came from the shooting of Jagruti in Udupi. Salman revealed that he had to jump from what he described as an “80-foot mountain.”
“At first, when I saw it from below, I thought, ‘Yeah, I can do this jump,’” he recalled.
Back then, stunt safety was far more basic compared to today. Salman explained that usually actors were given only one or two cardboard boxes to land on during risky scenes. But for this particular jump, the team arranged three layers of boxes along with mattresses on top.
“So I thought, ‘Now I’ve arrived,’” Salman joked.
However, things changed the moment he climbed to the top of the mountain.
Because of the curve of the cliff, Salman could no longer see the safety boxes below. Suddenly, the jump that had looked simple from the ground became terrifying.
“I wasn’t going to do that jump,” he admitted honestly.
But then came the pressure that many actors silently deal with the fear of backing out in front of an entire film crew.
“Going up and then coming back down saying I won’t do it… you know how it feels,” he said.
Finally, Salman gathered courage and prepared for the leap. Before jumping, he held the hand of his makeup artist, Raju, and looked down once more.
“When I saw the boxes from that height, they looked like a matchbox,” he said.
Still, he went ahead with the stunt.
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As he started running toward the edge, Salman slipped on gravel. His body twisted awkwardly mid-air, his hair skimmed the mountain rock, and he crashed down dangerously close to disaster.
And that was only one of the stories.
Salman also recalled another painful stunt involving skating near Mount Mary in Bandra during a film shoot. The first attempt went badly wrong, and people watching from nearby buildings reportedly laughed after seeing him fail the landing.
That reaction hurt Salman’s ego.
“So I decided I would do it again,” he said.
The second attempt became even more dangerous. Salman gathered too much speed while skating downhill and realized he was going to overshoot the safety landing area completely.
“I could actually see the boxes passing by underneath me,” he remembered.
Eventually, he crashed onto a mattress placed near the camera, but the impact was so severe that he could not breathe properly for almost one and a half minutes.
What makes Salman Khan’s storytelling unique is that he narrates these near-disaster moments without turning them into dramatic superstar speeches. There is no exaggerated heroism, no motivational tone just raw memories told in his relaxed, humorous style.
But beneath the humour lies an important reality about old Bollywood stunt culture. In those days, safety measures were minimal, improvisation was common, and actors often performed risky scenes themselves without modern protection systems.
Salman’s stories also reveal the fearless attitude that eventually became a huge part of his screen image. Even when scared, he did not want to appear weak in front of the crew. That mix of confidence, ego, instinct, and raw courage helped shape the “Bhai” persona fans still celebrate today.
And perhaps that is why even simple Salman Khan interviews go viral because whether he is talking about films, fame, or life-threatening stunts, he always sounds completely real.
