Taapsee Pannu on taking air pistol shooting lessons to perfect her sharpshooter act for Anurag Kashyap's Saand Ki Aankh
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 22, 2019)

Having shot for a portion of Saand Ki Aankh in Johri village in Uttar Pradesh, Taapsee Pannu has flown back to the bay to promote her next, Badla. The actor is also utilising the time to train in air pistol and rifle shooting for her sharpshooter act in the Anurag Kashyap production. The Tushar Hiranandani-directed venture sees Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar bring the story of Chandro (in pic) and Prakashi Tomar - the country's oldest women sharpshooters - on celluloid.

The actor says her mornings begin with rounds of shooting at the Maharashtra Rifle Association Range in Worli, under the tutelage of coach Vishwajeet Shinde. "I am training for four hours every day. My coach and I go to the shooting range every morning. We start with the details of the sport - how to hold the gun, the nuances and tricks as well as the safety measures."

Although she had learnt the basics of the sport before the first schedule commenced earlier this month, Pannu says the next leg will see Pednekar and her dive deep into it. "Shooting is not something that came easily to me. I was scared to even attempt this, but I chose this film to get over my mental block."

Often appreciated for picking up diverse characters, Pannu describes this as the "most challenging role" of her career so far. "Her life is far removed from what I have played so far. I have built her from scratch drawing upon my observations of her."