Preparing Farhan Akhtar to seamlessly 'disappear' from before the opponent on the set of Toofan, Darrell Foster on making him a convincing boxer
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; January 22, 2020)

At one point during our conversation with Darrell Foster, the world-class fighter and fitness maverick abruptly flings a few coins on the wooden floor of his vanity van, a few feet away from a suburban venue, where the shooting of a boxing scene for Farhan Akhtar's Toofan is set to commence. The clamorous interruption evidently has us startled, and it is at this point that Foster would deliver upon us his winning blow, had we been in a physical bout with him. Hollywood's go-to person when the sport of boxing needs to be replicated for reel, Foster is responding to our questions pertaining to his E2: Enlightenment and Exercise program, which focuses on training the brain, just as much as one does the body, for boxing. It's also the method he employed to build Akhtar into the physical genius he seems to have become if his Instagram posts are anything to go by.

Gone with the wind
Trainer to Will Smith for the Muhammad Ali (2001) biopic, and to Miles Teller for Bleed for This (2016), Foster asserts "most of the boxing [occurs] between the ears". In a bid to establish his point on the importance of mental agility, he reiterates that exhausting an opponent mentally is just as crucial as getting him physically depleted. "You have to understand the human mindset. If you get cut, hit, or hear a loud noise, [I can] get a reaction from you. That's when I'll hit you. You make your opponent do that, and in that split second, [the game is yours]. The analogy of a train coming down the track [is employed here]. The train can only operate on the track. It's [a boxer's] job to derail the opponent, get him tired, and keep him looking for you. I'm going to teach you to make your opponent feel like there's something buzzing [in his ear]; he must turn instinctively instead of strategically, and you must be able to disappear."

Making a runner box
Having ascertained Akhtar's dedication to become the boxer he was set to play in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's film, Foster was willing to take up the boxing drama. But even though Akhtar had spent a fair amount of time learning to box, before his arrival, Foster says he initially "wasn't impressed". "I was impressed with his physicality, and his dedication. But, I've dealt with boxers for 50 years on a world-class level. What I spotted [in Akhtar] initially were things I knew I was going to have to undo. After my initial consultation via Skype, [his team] told me of the track movie [Bhaag Milkha Bhaag] that he had done. Since that involved a lot of leg work, I decided to start there, in terms of setting his speed, and teaching him how to shift his weight. We went back to basics, [learning] balance and ring work; [I taught him the] same way I would a five-year old, by starting from scratch. He was an open vessel. I used analogies," he says, going on to highlight an example when further prodded. "I would ask him to walk and fetch the gloves [at a small distance]. When he'd return, I'd ask him if he thought about how he walked, and bent down to fetch the gloves. He'd say, 'No'. And I'd say that's where we need to get you as far as fighting skills are concerned. [It must feel so natural that] you strike your opponent, your hand is back, and you haven't thought about it. We have to get to a point where you eliminate the thinking process and operate on natural instincts. We all have two arms and two legs, and most boxers go: right-left-right [with their punches]. I had to teach him to double and triple up with one arm."

Setting goals, and meeting them
When Foster's kids decide to hop aboard a treadmill, he instructs them to set their goal up front. "Before you step on, you have the choice to decide how much you want to run. But once that's set, you will not stop. If you pass out, I'll pick you up, and [get you] medical attention. But, you won't stop because you've decided to quit." His attitude with Akhtar, he alludes, was no different. "[I told him], we've got one holy grail —the script. We're serving the movie, and that's a tall task. I can't act like him, he can't fight like me; so, we've got to blend. Failure is not an option. We have to get to the finish line together."

With abundant Hollywood projects on his resume, he admits that he has also developed a fine understanding of lenses and camera-work, a knowledge that afforded him immense control on the set of Toofan. "Rakeysh has relinquished his authority with nothing but humility. He'd announce [to the crew] that [they must follow] my instructions. If I think we must cut, we'll cut. [We'd do whatever is needed to] get the required performance."

Having learnt the ropes of boxing for Toofan since March, Farhan on how Hollywood action-choreographer fine-tuned the film's sequences
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; October 7, 2019)

A quick glance at his repertoire reveals that Farhan Akhtar's choice of films have been anything but frivolous. If his upcoming film, The Sky Is Pink, hinges on an intriguing script, Akhtar says his boxing drama Toofan also offered the kind of solid storyline that he was seeking, so as to return to acting after his hiatus last year, to create music.

Akhtar's Instagram feed reeks of the toil he has been putting in to slip into the part of a boxer in Rakesh Omprakash Mehra's next, the prep of which, he tells us, commenced in March with professional boxer, Drew Neal. Leaving no stone unturned to ensure his punches hit viewers in their gut, he also employed action choreographer Darrell Foster, credited for training a long list of heavyweights, including Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, Antonio Banderas and Eddie Murphy.

"Darrell has been boxing since the age of 10. Now at 61, he is fitter than most teenagers I've seen," says Akhtar, crediting the athlete — with films like Ali and Bleed For This to his credit — for lending the film's stunt sequences an incredible finesse.

"With Drew, I learnt authentic boxing. But Darrell altered that to make sure I'm ready for the camera. For instance, while shooting, if I'd cover my face completely in a boxing stance, the audience will not be able to see me. At the same time, I can't lower my arms such that I look like I'm waiting to get hit. That's the kind of gap that Darrell bridged. He also designed most of the choreography. He's a taskmaster, but he also looks out for you, as well as the rest of the boxers on set; constantly ensuring they're all doing okay," says Akhtar, who will kick off the second shooting leg in November.

One might assume that the physical exertion he endured to ace his act as a runner in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag could be a deterrent to give his nod to yet another sports drama, but Akhtar suggests otherwise. "Running is not an alien concept. Everyone can run, some faster than the others, but you always have the general knowledge. Boxing is something I had to learn from scratch because I had never done it before. I am loving every bit of it."