Training since January for Rashmi Rocket, Taapsee Pannu says her physical prep has come undone due to break; admits shoot of sports drama and Shabaash Mithu to be rescheduled
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 13, 2020)

"My year was planned such that a break [was out of the question]. Instead, here I am, into my fourth week [of self-quarantine]," laughs Taapsee Pannu, trying to find humour in the unprecedented situation. The actor's frenetic schedule came to a screeching halt with the Coronavirus lockdown. "I came back on March 15 from Haridwar [where she was shooting for Haseen Dillruba]. There was a 10-day stint left in Delhi, but we had to call it off."

While Haseen Dillruba is close to the finish line, Pannu is worried about the fate of Rashmi Rocket. The actor, who had begun training rigorously to transform into a sprinter, is aware that the break might undo her efforts of the past three months. "I had started getting into shape from early January. The physicality was coming on point, and now, in the last phase, I needed to push myself the most. Initially, I had thought I will keep myself physically in sync with the character, but the gyms are shut. I can't meet my trainer. We connect over video chat, but the fitness training [that the film demands] is not the kind we can do at home. It's not possible to look like a sprinter [by following the basic regimen]."

Even after the lockdown is lifted, the shoot of the Akarsh Khurana-directed venture will have to be pushed considerably. "We were to shoot in March-end and early April. But now, we can't shoot in Bhuj [till September] because the temperature rises to 50 degrees in summer. [Once the restrictions are relaxed] I will have to re-start the physical training while shooting for another film."

Pannu also has the Mithali Raj biopic, Shabaash Mithu, on the cards. "It will take me a few months to pick up cricket. I had planned my schedule such that once I had wrapped up Rashmi, I would train for Mithu while shooting for Anurag Kashyap's film. I had assumed I'll be physically ready for Mithu thanks to my prep for Rashmi Rocket. But now, it's all disrupted."