Boy dies copying Salman Khan's train stunt in 'Ek Tha Tiger'

Bangalore, October 6: A 16-year-old boy's desire to imitate Salman Khan's train stunt in the movie 'Ek Tha Tiger' has cost him his life.

On Oct 3, Mohammed Faizan, a resident of New Bamboo Bazaar, bunked his first term examination and headed to the Cantonment railway station with two friends around 10.30am. Once there, the class X student climbed the Golden Chariot. He was thrown off the stationary train when he came close to a high-tension power line. He landed on the platform, head first, and sustained severe burns.

Faizan wanted to show his friends how Salman Khan jumps off a train in 'Ek Tha Tiger', his cousin Irfan informed TOI.

Nobody stopped Mohammed Faizan, 16, and his two friends when they climbed the Golden Chariot parked at the Cantonment railway station. Faizan wanted to show his buddies how Salman Khan jumps off a train in the movie 'Ek Tha Tiger'.

"With no one stopping him, it was a free run for the boy, who along with his two friends marched towards the area adjoining the railway quarters where the Golden Chariot was parked," police said.

Faizan, a class X student, came close to a high-tension wire after he climbed the train, and was thrown off. Railway police attended to him, by which time his two friends escaped. Police called an ambulance, which rushed him to Victoria Hospital. His father Mushtaq Ahmed, who runs a hotel at New Bamboo Bazaar, Shivajinagar, was informed.

"The doctors in the burns ward, where he was admitted, advised us to shift him to Nimhans to treat his head injuries," Irfan said.

At Nimhans, doctors diagnosed Faizan's injuries as grievous and said chances of his survival were bleak. He died in the hospital around 5am on Friday.

Case of identification

"This is a case of total identification," said MS Thimmappa, psychologist and former VC, Bangalore University.

"I am surprised a 16-yearold boy tried to imitate that stunt. If he was younger, it would not have been so unexpected. Most of our movies and ads come with a caption, 'Do not imitate'. That is good. In this case, the boy had been encouraged by the milieu. In many cases like these, the only real entertainment is the movie character. The victim wouldn't have anything else to fall back upon, like music or reading, but would be heavily dependent on that mode of entertainment," he added.