4 min readKochiMay 24, 2026 07:18 PM IST
Abhimanyu Singh is known not just in Bollywood circles but also among the South Indian cinema audience, having appeared in a handful of regional movies. He recently shared his experience working with actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay, who currently serves as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, recalling the time they both shot a stunt sequence atop a moving train without proper security measures in place.
Revealing that his first Tamil film was with Vijay, Abhimanyu described him as a “simple and grounded” human being. For those who may not know, Abhimanyu played the villain opposite Vijay in Velayudham (2011) and Thalaivaa (2013). “We landed in Coimbatore (during the filming of Velayudham), travelled by car for six hours, and reached a place. We were all waiting at a small hotel. One and a half hours away from that spot, there was a small railway station where they had kept ready a train that they had hired,” he shared during a conversation with Hindi Rush.
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Abhimanyu Singh recalls working with Vijay in Velayudham
Abhimanyu continued, “A fight sequence was being shot in it for the past six days. On the seventh day, they had to shoot the portions on top of the train. That was the last day on which the train would be available. There was an Australian fight master who said that if we focused too much on security, we couldn’t complete the scene in the stipulated time. Then another fight master from Chennai stepped in. Initially, Vijay and I rehearsed while the train was stationary on the track. Then we were informed that as soon as the camera started rolling, the train would move.”
Mentioning that he was taken aback initially, Abhimanyu Singh said he immediately discussed this with Vijay, wondering how they would fight atop a moving train. He asked, “Are you sure we will be able to fight like this?” Vijay replied, “No, no, we will not fight; we will save each other.” Abhimanyu further recalled, “Once the train reached a speed of 70-80 kmph, it was just Vijay and me, with no safety equipment, and the cameraman, who just had ropes tied around his waist. There was no one else with us. I immediately noticed a bridge, and that’s when I realised that if my leg slipped, I would fall into a 2,500-ft-deep valley. Also, if one of us slipped, we would have instinctively held onto the other person’s hand, and we both would have died.”
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When Abhimanyu Singh couldn’t sleep for 6-7 days
Luckily, nothing happened, and they completed the shoot successfully. “I couldn’t sleep for 6-7 days, thinking about what would have happened if my leg had slipped even a bit. But then I thought: if such a big star wasn’t scared and was ready to do the stunts without safety, why should I be? He was instantly ready to do all that with so much courage and guts. Nonetheless, we really had a narrow escape from death,” he added.
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Mentioning that the audience down South is very loyal to their stars, Abhimanyu Singh noted that the same isn’t the case in Bollywood. “The fans there watch all the films of their stars. They respect and worship them. The stars are lucky to have such an audience.” He further lauded the regional industries for remaining rooted even now and telling such tales through their films and shows. “The South Indian film industries continue to tell the stories of their land. Their stories have a soul that is both of India and of their native places. Bollywood, on the other hand, is confused about what to show the audience. Talented writers don’t get a chance here.”
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