Saif Ali Khan says one scene in Haiwaan put him out of commission for two days. Not because of an injury. Just plain exhaustion.

In the film, Saif plays a visually impaired character who happens to be trained in martial arts, and the plot puts him through a torture sequence before he turns on his attackers. Speaking to Pinkvilla, Saif described a scene where his character gets kicked and slapped around before the inevitable comeback the audience is waiting for. "As an audience, you want him to retaliate, which he eventually does," he said.

What makes it worth talking about is how it was shot. No CGI. No harness work. No stunt doubles standing in for the tough bits.

"It wasn't CGI or harness-backed action scenes, the fight scene is just raw," Saif said. "I thought I was alright but I was exhausted because that is how intense the action scene was."

Stunt choreographer Silva built the sequence around broken glass and wrecked furniture, and by the sound of it the set looked like it went through an actual fight afterward. "The room has broken glass everywhere," Saif said. "It was very raw and kind of violent, and it was utterly exhausting because after that I had to lie down for two days."

Here's the detail that stands out, though. There were no separate workshops or special training blocks built into the schedule for this. Saif just rehearsed the choreography directly with Silva and then shot it. That's a fairly lean way to prep for a sequence this physical, and it explains why the fatigue hit as hard as it did. Frames were smashed, cupboards took damage, and the actors came away with the odd cut and bruise rather than anything serious. Saif called the whole thing "lots of fun to perform," which, fair enough, actors say stranger things about pain.

The scene works, per Saif, because it's tied directly into the story rather than existing as a standalone set piece. His character has been mistreated through the narrative and the fight is the release valve for that. Credit, he said, goes to Silva for both designing and pulling it off cleanly.

Haiwaan is Saif's first film with director Priyadarshan, and it puts him opposite Akshay Kumar for the first time in 18 years, a reunion that's likely to get more attention than the action design once promotions kick into gear. No release date has been confirmed yet for Haiwaan. Given the physical toll this one scene apparently took, expect more of these behind-the-scenes bits to surface as the marketing builds.