Two years ago, for the Neeraj Pandey-directed spy thriller Baby, in which I played officer Shabana Khan, I trained in Krav Maga, an Israeli self-defence technique. That was the first time I was trying martial arts so it was a different kind of challenge. I had a few action sequences in the film and I think I pulled them off convincingly because my performance got me a lot of raves. Two-three months after the film's release I was told to continue with my training as a prequel was being planned.

Naam Shabana released earlier this year on March 31. I trained intensively for 10-12 months before the film went on the floors. Not only Krav Maga, I also learnt Aikido, a modern Japanese martial arts form developed by Morihei Ueshiba. The prep was a compulsion as I'm shown as an Aikido player and there was a college tournament sequence in the script which sees me displaying my skills. I had to get it bang on for the sequence to look authentic. I also learnt basic Mixed Martial Arts. It's important to know MMA to pull off different kinds of fights. I remember I was busy with the promotions of Shoojit Sircar's Pink at the time. I had to find time in my hectic schedule for the two-hour martial arts course, either before or after my daily commitments. I trained with Mehul Vora and Jatin Naik from Akshay Kumar's academy of self defense. Fortunately I picked it up fast and the martial arts made me physically strong. There were no new injuries but a pelvic injury I had suffered during the Baby shoot resurfaced. I had a labral tear in my hip joint and the high kicks aggravated it. So, after training for two hours, I had to go for physiotherapy sessions for the next two hours. That was a stressful time! I'd been a little apprehensive during the Baby shoot as it was only my second Hindi film after Chashme Baddoor. I thought that if I told anyone from the film's team about my injury, they would throw me out immediately. So, I would quietly attend physiotherapy session. No one found out till after we had finished shooting the fight sequence.

I still practice martial arts whenever I have some time to myself because now it's just about brushing up my skills. I was already playing squash to stay fit. I think I am genetically athletic and enjoy the challenge of learning something like martial arts, which helps me up my fitness quotient.

I also think it is important for everyone to learn some form of self defense, in particular women who should be well prepared to look after themselves and react according to the situation. As a kid I was always running around and enjoying outdoor sports. My family was always worried about me getting injured but I personally would recommend it to everyone. Any sport helps one in the long run.