For years, fans have speculated whether choreographer Shakti Mohan performed Katrina Kaif’s stunts in Dhoom 3’s high-energy song Kamli. Shakti has now put the rumours to rest, opening up about Katrina’s relentless dedication and revealing how the actor chose to push herself physically despite suffering bruises during the shoot.
‘How can I be her body double?’
Addressing the long-standing speculation, Shakti dismissed the claim outright, pointing out the obvious physical differences between her and Katrina.“Has anyone see me do stunts in reality show Dance India Dance? Also, if I have to be a body double of Katrina Kaif, don’t I have to have a very different type of skin tone? My skin tone and height doesn’t match with her. How can I be her body double?” she told Filmygyan.
Months of rehearsal before the shoot
Explaining how the song was prepared, Shakti revealed that she was assisting choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant at the time and worked closely with Katrina during rehearsals.“I was assisting Vaibhavi Merchant during the song. This was before I started working as a choreographer. So, Katrina had to do the song solo and they needed somebody to teach her the moves. We rehearsed for 1.5 months. And I had to do the dance in one take,” Shakti shared.
‘Suddenly there was so much pressure on everyone’
Shakti admitted that Katrina’s commitment raised the bar for everyone on set, including seasoned dancers.“This was a crazy experience for me because when Katrina came in, suddenly there was so much pressure on everyone that you have to dance like her despite me being a professional dancer. I have been doing this all my life. And Katrina was like I am not going to give up,” she said.She further clarified that while Katrina performed almost everything herself, a stunt double was used only for the most dangerous portions.“She would perform all the steps one after another minus all the stunts. Just for the stunt, they got the body double from France. Her body double in that song actually settled in India and got married here,” Shakti added.
Bruises, determination and a heartfelt gesture
Recalling the physically demanding shoot, Shakti highlighted how Katrina refused to step back even when injured.“There were so many things that a body double could do instead of her, but Katrina insisted that she wants to do. There was this one very difficult step where you were required to do the back arch, but she didn’t give up. She had bruises all over her body. She is very hard-working,” she said. Shakti also shared a personal moment that stayed with her long after the shoot wrapped up.“Also, after the shoot got over, she sent me a bag to my home with a very nice note,” she added.
