Karan hands him a fake sword. Ravi snaps it. He grabs a real iron rod from a light stand. Then, on a dare, he performs a breathtaking, unscripted action sequence: scaling a scaffolding "mast," swinging on a lighting rig "yardarm," and disarming four stuntmen (who had to be hospitalized later). The entire set erupts in applause.

Ravi agrees — but on his terms. He rewrites the script on the spot. No songs unless they're sea shanties. No romance. Only blood, salt, and honor. Filming becomes a wild, dangerous, and utterly unpredictable ride. Ravi refuses to act. He lives the part. He forces the crew to learn real knot-tying. He makes the actors walk planks over crocodile-infested ponds. During a "storm" scene, he actually cuts the sails and nearly sinks the set.

In the climax of the real story (not the film), Ravi defeats Diego in a final sword fight on the roof of a moving double-decker bus during the premiere parade. Diego falls into a sewage drain and is arrested by a confused constable.

He drops the gem into a vat of street-side chai.

The film's heroine, (a fierce classical dancer forced into glamorous roles), challenges him. She demands a real sword fight scene. Ravi is amused. They duel for six hours. By the end, he respects her more than any "landlubber." She calls him "a barbarian with a poet's eyes."

Swashbucklers of the Silver Screen

He corners Diego atop the famous "Bollywood Sign" (styled after Hollywood). Diego laughs: "This isn't our world, Ravi. There's no treasure here. No kings. Only box office collections."

Meanwhile, Diego Silveira — alive and also transported through time (having stolen another gem) — is now a slick, suit-wearing producer competing with Bhai. He recognizes Ravi from a newspaper headline: "PIRATE ACTOR TAKES BOLLYWOOD BY STORM."