Actress Chitrashi Rawat, who has carved a niche for herself in the film industry with her distinctive acting prowess, is celebrating her 36th birthday on November 29, while on this special occasion, details of a harrowing experience from her career have resurfaced, an incident that brought her face-to-face with death. This particular ordeal is linked to her 2009 film 'Luck', where she shared the screen with Bollywood stalwarts Sanjay Dutt and Mithun Chakraborty.
Rise to Fame with 'Chak De!
Chitrashi Rawat commenced her cinematic journey with the blockbuster film 'Chak De! India', starring Shah Rukh Khan. In this movie, she portrayed the character of a hockey player, a role that earned her significant recognition among both audiences and the film fraternity. Interestingly, Chitrashi is an actual hockey player in real life, having started playing at the age of 17. This personal background added an authentic layer to her portrayal in 'Chak De! India', contributing to the film's success and establishing her as a promising talent in the industry. The film's immense popularity propelled her into the limelight, providing a strong foundation for her budding career.
The 'Luck' Project and Initial Hesitation
In 2009, Chitrashi was offered a role in the film 'Luck'. This was a multi-starrer project, boasting a formidable cast including Sanjay Dutt, Imran Khan, Shruti Haasan, and Mithun Chakraborty. Initially, Chitrashi declined the offer to be a part of this high-profile venture. While the specific reasons for her initial refusal aren't detailed, it was only after. The film's director, Soham Shah, persuaded her that she eventually agreed to take on the role. Little did she know that this film would present her with some of the most terrifying and life-threatening experiences of her professional life.
A Brush with Death: Dangerous Stunts in 'Luck'
Recounting her experience of working on 'Luck', Chitrashi Rawat revealed that she felt a brush with death on multiple occasions during the film's shooting. In an old interview, she shared that many stunts performed for the movie brought her and the team perilously close to fatal situations. This experience was profoundly frightening, encompassing both physical and mental challenges. The very nature of the film demanded numerous dangerous action sequences, requiring the actors to put their lives at considerable risk. The intensity of these stunts left a lasting impression on Chitrashi, highlighting the extreme demands of her role.
Among the various dangerous sequences, Chitrashi specifically recounted an underwater shoot for 'Luck' as her most terrifying experience, while she described being extremely scared during a scene filmed in the open sea. Her fear was compounded by the fact that she neither knew how to swim. Nor had any affinity for water; in fact, she harbored a deep fear of it. For this particular scene, she was required to go into the middle of the ocean, where, to her horror, there were twenty to thirty sharks present. This situation would be terrifying for anyone, let alone someone with aquaphobia and no swimming skills, while filming amidst sharks was an unforgettable and life-threatening ordeal for Chitrashi. Despite the inherent danger, she remarkably described the experience as 'amazing', a testament to her courage and professional dedication in the face of extreme adversity.
'Luck's' Box Office Performance
Despite its star-studded cast and the inclusion of perilous stunts, the film 'Luck' failed to make a significant impact at the box office, while the movie was produced on a substantial budget of 35 crore rupees but struggled to attract audiences to cinemas. According to reports, the film managed to collect only 20. 87 crore rupees at the box office, a figure Importantly lower than its production cost. 'Luck' ultimately proved to be a commercial flop, even with the presence of seasoned actors like Sanjay. Dutt and Mithun Chakraborty, and emerging talents like Chitrashi Rawat, who risked their lives performing dangerous stunts. The film's commercial failure underscored the reality that big names and thrilling action sequences alone don't guarantee a film's success.
