In a Vidyut Jammwal film, action sequences are hardly restricted to kicks and punches. While the actor has often propagated the martial art form, Kalaripayattu, he will now be seen exploring balletic action in Sanak. Director Kanishk Varma, who recently wrapped up the first schedule in Goa, reveals that the leading man effortlessly took to the modified action form under the supervision of stunt director Andy Long. The international stunt choreographer has previously worked on Jackie Chan’s Dragon Blade (2015), among other films.

“Balletic action has a certain rhythm to it. With Vidyut, it becomes easy to shoot because he is such a brilliant martial artiste in his own right. My brief to Andy Long was that the action sequence should look like a ballet. We wanted to shoot long takes. We have mostly seen Vidyut play a commando in his movies, but here, he essays the role of a common man. How he fights as a common man sets the tone of the action employed in the film,” explains Varma. 

Always game to bring a new art form to screen, Jammwal believes the stunts showcased in the Vipul Shah production are “path-breaking”. “It was a conscious decision to create our own niche, using Kalaripayattu as the [base]. The action is original,” he states.

Khuda Haafiz actor Shiv Panditt learns ropes of Krav Maga, combat from Andy Long
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; August 7, 2020)

Set to feature in the upcoming actioner, Khuda Haafiz, Shiv Panditt, as an Arab commando, will be seen pulling off a series of high-octane stunts.

Apart from undergoing a rigorous physical training routine, he upped his skills under the guidance of renowned action director Andy Long Nguyen, who has been associated with films of Hollywood icon, Jackie Chan. "Andy's style of action, professionalism and his eye for detail is mind-blowing. He, along with his team, made shooting difficult action scenes seem like a piece of cake. It was interesting to see that while he made us execute difficult stunts, he ensured all safety [measures] were in place," says the actor, who learnt hand-to-hand combat routines, and martial art forms like the Keysi fighting technique, seen in the Batman franchise, and Krav Maga, involving close-quarter combat and grappling moves.

With two promising projects in her kitty, Aahana Kumra discusses being content with juggling genres
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; December 22, 2019)

"The script is cracking," starts off Aahana Kumra, when prodded about what made her green-light How To Kill Your Husband. Shooting for the thriller, which, as the name suggests, sees her killing her husband, has been underway in London. "The film is full of twists and turns. I am consciously looking out for roles that I have never played before. I want to play diverse characters that I have never imagined. Thankfully, I am getting such offers."

Kumra's comments are in stark contrast to those she had made in the past, when she had alluded that women rarely get substantial roles in cinema. After a string of great offers, evidently, she has had a change of heart. "Sometimes, we need to endure something to realise that good things come to those who wait. In my next movie, Khuda Hafiz, I play an agent, alongside Vidyut Jammwal. I have a lot of action scenes in the movie. Andy Long's stunt team is working with us, and we had to be fit for the film. We did drills every evening, and each scene was prepared well in advance, to minimise injuries during the shoot. I have to acknowledge that writers are pushing for female characters to be interestingly written."

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 7, 2019)

Even before she makes her Bollywood debut opposite Amrish Puri’s grandson Vardhan with the romantic-thriller Yeh Saali Aashiqui, Shivaleeka Oberoi has bagged her second film. Mirror has learnt that the actress plays Vidyut Jammwal’s wife in the Faruk Kabir-directed action-romance, Khuda Hafiz, which revolves around the couple, and is produced by Kumar Mangat and Abhishek Pathak.

“I wanted to find my second project before my debut released, so two-and-a-half months ago, when I was auditioning for other films, I got a call for Khuda Hafiz. I auditioned and last month, I was informed that I had bagged the part. Shooting for my portions began in October-end. The film is based on a true story, and will be shot in Mumbai and Lucknow besides Uzbekistan,” says Shivaleeka, who has previously assisted Sajid Nadiadwala on the Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandezstarrer Kick and Sajid-Farhad on Housefull 3.

The actress, who had been shooting in Uzbekistan, returned to Mumbai on Monday for the trailer launch of her debut film and will report back to work after its release. “For Khuda Hafiz, I have already shot for 10 days in sub-zero temperature. My part is more girl-next-door, but I will also be doing some action with Vidyut, which involves a lot of hand-to-hand combat and has been choregraphed by Andy Long, who worked with Vidyut on Commando 3,” Shivaleeka informs, adding that Vidyut helped her with the sequences.

She goes on to add that between shots, she and Vidyut would talk about everything under the sun. “The cast and crew also celebrated Diwali together with a small party and a bonfire in Uzbekistan. This schedule will wrap up by the month-end. Then, we start shooting in Mumbai from December,” Shivaleeka signs off.