What do you do when your biggest fear stares you in the face, over 100 feet above the ground? For actor Akash Makhija, the answer came in the form of courage, adrenaline, and a little help from co-star Rajkummar Rao.

In a pivotal scene for ‘Bhool Chuk Maaf’, Akash had to jump into deep water from a height that would make most think twice—that too, without a stunt double.

In an exclusive chat with ‘Mathrubhumi English’, the actor reveals how he conquered his fear of heights on set, thanks to Rajkummar’s calm encouragement, and reflects on his brief but vital role as Hamid Ansari in the Karan Sharma directorial.

Recalling the jump that forms a crucial part of the film’s plot, Akash said, “I’m scared of heights. In the scene where I have to jump into the water, the height was easily more than 100 feet. I performed the stunt on my own; of course, there was the stunt team, but no body double was used for it. I initially thought that it must be a small jump from a certain height, which is okay. But when I reached the spot and I saw that I had to jump from almost 150 feet, I was like, Now that I am wearing the harnesses, I can’t tell the team that I can’t perform the scene. It would have added more time, as they would have had to use chroma for the process. That’s when I thought that I would just do it for the team.”

Although Akash had decided that he would perform the stunt, he froze once he reached the spot from which he had to jump. And that is when wise advice from ‘Bhool Chuk Maaf’s lead actor, Rajkummar, came in handy for him.

“Raj Bhai was standing there already when I came and was supposed to jump. Right before jumping, I froze looking at the height and thought to myself, 'How will I do it?' That is when he told me about his experience of ‘Kai Po Che!’ where they (Sushant Singh Rajput, Amit Sadh, and Rajkummar) all jumped in the water for the song ‘Meethi Boliyan’. He told me that if I look down, I'll never be able to perform it. He said that I have to trust the stunt team. I trusted his advice, and for a brief amount of time, I asked the team not to let me jump but just hang me in the air so that I could feel it. This is how it happened.”

But it doesn't end there. Akash revealed that when he jumped and thought the scene was finally over, there was a surprise waiting for him – he had to do it all over again because of a technical glitch.

“I finally jumped, and I thought that it was done since everyone was clapping. But then somebody from the team said that there is a focus issue with the shot, which is why it needs to be shot again. And then I did it at least 10 times. After so many shots, I finally thought it was over, but as luck would have it, the next day, when I came to the sets, I was told that I had to jump one more time because there was a different angle from where it had to be shot. I am someone who is scared of heights; it scares me even when a flight takes off, but this movie—and especially this particular scene—helped me overcome my fears,” he added.

Speaking further, Akash also recalled his first meeting with Rajkummar and a crucial aspect of acting that he learnt from the ‘Stree 2’ actor. Akash had first met Rajkummar in 2016 at the success party of ‘Half Girlfriend’, a film in which the former was a part. Back then, Rajkummar was freshly out of ‘Trapped’.

Cut to 2024, when the two met on the sets of the movie; little did Akash know that Rajkummar would remember him from the success party.

Talking about the takeaway he had after working with Rajkummar, he said, “One of the biggest lessons I learnt from Raj Bhai on set is the importance of knowing the entire script, not just your own character. Bhool Chuk Maaf deals with time loops, and Raj Bhai was completely in sync with the screenplay. He knew exactly which scene came before, which one followed, and what loop the characters were in at any given moment. Most actors tend to focus only on their parts, but Rajkummar Rao goes beyond that. He understands the full narrative and every character’s journey. He’s always there to help, offering suggestions and guidance that elevate a scene. That level of awareness and generosity is rare. Despite being a star, he never carries that aura on set—he’s warm, approachable, and genuinely interested in the people around him. He talks to you, asks about your family, and makes you feel completely at ease. I feel truly fortunate that every single one of my scenes in the film was with him.”

Apart from ‘Bhool Chuk Maaf’, Akash was also recently seen in Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Gram Chikisalay’, a comedy-drama series starring Amol Parashar in the lead. As for ‘Bhool Chuk Maaf’, the film minted Rs. 60.60 crore at the box office within 10 days of its theatrical release.