As told to Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 1, 2019)

I was working as an intern with a photographer and would go for every audition hoping I would get lucky. That was the only window open to me at the time and irrespective of the outcome, I was happy I got to ‘act’ and with the feedback I got.

Then, I went to audition for Dangal and the prep began right away. There were several rounds, each testing us for a different skill set, from physical and basic acting rounds to wrestling. It demanded a lot from me, physically and I was delighted when I was shortlisted after several gruelling sessions.

Kripa sir (Shankar Patel Bishnoi), who coaches Indian female wrestlers at the senior national coaching camp, was training us. He was told to train us the way he would someone looking to get into professional wrestling. I wasn’t doing any kind of physical activity before my debut film. No workouts and no watching what I ate, so it was doubly difficult for me. My only focus was to get the wrestling moves required for the film, but that wasn’t possible unless I learned everything there was to know.

I had aches in places I didn’t know existed. I used to be in pain all the time and there were times when I was not just physically but even emotionally unable to face another day of training.

Exhaustion was a constant. I also had to change our diet plan, was put on a very high-calorie diet since I had to put on weight. And then there was the dialect. We were strictly told not to learn but simply practise the lines till they flowed naturally. But the only thing that kept me going was that there was no way out. I had to do all this to be in the film.

Even after being confirmed for the role of Geeta Phogat, I had the nagging fear of being dropped if I failed to pull off a certain scene or even a wrestling move. So, even when I was injured, I kept it to myself and continued to grapple in the ring. It was only when I fractured my rib and couldn’t breathe, that I had to tell them. I had broken my ankle earlier while shooting but no one knew about that. By the time we wrapped up the shoot, I was completely broken.

But I have got a lot in return, not just the experience, but also the friends we made. We are a close-knit unit and still discuss films. Today, all the prep that went into my launch seems worth it.

After that I thought I could take it a bit easy, but then, Thugs of Hindostan came along. The prep was similar to my earlier training, only it was easier though the action sequences looked more difficult. Dangal is a contact sport and we had kept it real in the film so the risk of injury was that much more. It’s safer doing stunts, because you have harnesses and you know you will be taken care of. But when you have to lift someone in the ring, there is no one to help you. You have to do it yourself.

There were two foreign coaches who trained us in sword fighting. The day started with weight training followed by two-three hours of sword fighting. I also had to take some diction sessions.

After the arduous prep for my first two films, it was a breeze shooting for Anurag’s (Basu) next with Rajkummar Rao. We were shooting in Bhopal and every day, we would go on the set, discuss the scene and it was ‘Action’. It was as simple as that.

Even for my horror-comedy with Saif (Ali Khan), Bhoot Police, there won’t be any kind of homework required. I guess, my first two films have given me enough prep for the next ten.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 20, 2017)

Director Rohit Shetty is back in Khatron Ke Khiladi, taking the baton from Arjun Kapoor who hosted it last year. The eighth season will kick off in May, as soon as he wraps up the shoot of Golmaal Again. Shetty has hosted season five and six for the channel in the past.

A source close to the development informs Mirror that the team is expected to leave for Spain between May 12-15. “They will be shooting in Ronda, a town in the province of Malaga. It will be a month-long shoot. Among the confirmed contestants are wrestler Geeta Phogat, actor-host Karan Wahi, TV actors Shantanu Maheshwari, Rithvik Dhanjani, Ravi Dubey, actress Nia Sharma, model-anchor Shibani Dandekar and Bigg Boss 10 winner Manveer Gurjar,” informs the source.

Buzz is, the channel has approached former Bigg Boss contestants and rumoured couple, Prince Narula and Yuvika Choudhary, to come on board together.

The show is expected to go on air by July this year. “Rohit is in touch with the team planning new adventures and surprises for the viewers,” adds the source.

MUMBAI MIRROR (January 18, 2017)

Zaira Wasim, the younger Geeta Phogat in Dangal, faced the wrath of online trolls for meeting Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in the wake of the 2016 civil unrest in the Valley.

And while the understandably flustered teen went on to post an apology online for “offending” and “unintentionally hurting” certain people with her “recent actions”, only to delete it later, several eminent personalities, including former J&K CM, Omar Abdullah, and her co-actor-producer Aamir, have spoken up in her favour.

The latest to pledge allegiance to Team Zaira is the real Geeta herself, who posted on Twitter, “Zaira Wasim we are proud of you dear don’t worry and stand strong (sic).”

In a bid to add drama to biopics, Bollywood filmmakers have been ruffling feathers and facing legal wrangles
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; January 8, 2017)

Biopics are the flavour of the season in Bollywood. Real-life sagas are being narrated - well almost - as the plot usually has a dollop of fiction too. Sarabjeet Singh's sister, Dalbir Kaur, welcomed the cast of Omung Kumar's Sarbjit (2016) - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Randeep Hooda and Richa Chadha - into her home. Ditto with the Bhanots, Akhil and Aneesh, who rediscovered the spirit of their braveheart sister, slain PanAm airhostess Neerja Bhanot, when Sonam Kapoor played her part in Ram Madhvani's Neerja (2016).

But these are instances of bonafide biopics.

Unfulfilled promises

What about a film like the Salman Khan-starrer Sultan (2016)? Right after the film released in July, Mohammad Sabir Ansari alias Sabir Baba, a resident of Muzaffarpur, filed a petition in the chief judicial magistrate's court on grounds of cheating. He claimed Salman had promised to give him Rs 20 crore as royalty for making a film based on his life.

According to Ansari's lawyer Sudhir Ojha, the case is currently pending. "Salman had met him in 2010. The meeting went well and Salman was convinced he wants to make a movie on his life. He has not kept his part of the promise. The man deserves his royalty and he must be given. We will see this till the end," says Ojha.


Not balanced

On a similar note, Raees, based on the life of Ahmedabad gangster Abdul Latif Shaikh hasn't gone down well with his kin. The major bone of contention was that the makers had approached the family for information on him, but his portrayal is lopsided and doesn't mention his philanthropic work. Shaikh's son Mushtaq has filed a Rs 100-crore defamation case that is pending in the Gujarat High Court. Besides, his bootlegging activities and the claims of him running a brothel, the local community has also taken objection to the way women of Daryapuri have been portrayed. The production house, in a statement, clarified, "It is a pure work of fiction and is not based on any person; living or dead. It is an imagined crime thriller set against the backdrop of Gujarat."

Mushtaq retorted to this saying, "I've watched the film's trailer, and what they (makers) say doesn't matter. It is clearly based on my father's life."

After watching Neeraj Pandey's biopic M S Dhoni - The Untold Story made on his life, Captain Cool was moved to tears. Soon after the screening, Dhoni told the press, "Sushant Singh Rajput has completely imitated me. From the way I talk, to the way I walk, he has done an exceptional job. When we talk about cricket specifically, he practiced the game for months, for almost three hours every day. He could play cricket as well as me."

The recent Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal is based on the life of wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat. According to Aamir the film focusses on liberation of young girls than on the sport itself. Says Geeta Phogat told us, "I'm happy with the way the film has turned out. It was emotional for us to see our lives on screen. Aamir sir and the girls (Fatima Sana Sheikh and Sanya Malhotra) have portrayed our story beautifully. It seemed like I was watching myself." Babita, too, echoed her sister's sentiments. "It was an emotional moment, not just for me and Geeta, but for the entire family. Imagine you are sitting in a theatre and watching a movie about your life. These are things dreams are made of. The final sequence was shot really well. The national anthem in the end gave us goosebumps."

Of course, not everyone is happy even with Dangal. The fictionalised life account of the Phogats ended up showing PR Sondhi in a bad light. The wrestling coach had trained Geeta for the Commonwealth Games. Though, he is yet to touch base with Aamir, he says, "Distortion of facts has hurt my reputation. I should've been told how they intended to portray this character."

This year, there's another biopic in order. Arunachalam Muruganantham, better known as Menstrual Man, who is counted amongst India's top thinking minds. Akshay Kumar is all set to play him in R Balki's Pad Man. In 1998, Muruganantham had sparked off a revolution when he developed, after much derision and social censure, a low-cost sanitary napkin manufacturing machine. The machine is installed in 23 states.

Though he isn't ashamed to admit that he wanted to give the rights of his story to someone in Hollywood, so the film reaches a wider audience, he didn't have the heart to turn down Twinkle Khanna (who turns producer with this movie). Says Muruganantham, "I am proud that for the first time in world cinema history, a mainstream male star will talk about menstruation and sanitary napkins in a movie. The theme is universal. A full fledged feature film will be a game changer."

Upala KBR (DNA; December 28, 2016)

Aamir Khan organised a screening of Dangal at Balali in Haryana (where Mahavir Phogat and his family reside) last week as he had promised the villagers.

Says an insider, “When Aamir went for Geeta Phogat’s wedding in November this year, everyone was insisting for a screening. Since the nearest theatre is approximately 100 kms away from the village, Aamir made arrangements for one big screening. He had booked the entire theatre and organised everything from the snacks to the transportation.”

The entire village, comprising over 500 people, was present for the screening. “Post the movie, they all called and spoke to him. Aamir was very happy with the kind of response he received from them. Even Mahavir and his family were touched.”

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 21, 2016)

At the entrance of Haryana’s Balali village hung a large signboard declaring it the home turf of the Phogat sisters — Geeta, Babita, Vinesh and Ritu. Villagers were thrilled Balali was having its biggest wedding ever, as Geeta tied the knot with fellow wrestler Pawan Kumar in a grand ceremony at Charkhi Dadri, 20 km from the village. Aamir Khan, who plays her father Mahavir Phogat in his next, Dangal, was there to bless the newly weds.

Early last morning, Mahavir was on his toes, looking into minute details. Aamir joined the party in the afternoon. Walking in with his Dangal family — Sakshi Tanwar, Sanya Malhotra (who plays Babita) and director Nitesh Tiwari, the star brought in big boxes of dry fruits, sweets and gifts. Fatima Sana Shaikh, who plays Geeta on screen and has recently fractured her leg, missed the wedding.

Aamir was supposed to get Geeta’s bridal lehenga too, but as per tradition, the dulhan’s shaadi ka joda comes from her maternal uncle’s side. The star was hardly disheartened, though. He said his real wedding gift was the movie itself.

The bride was up and about all morning, attending to guests. The paps were even given a tour of their local akhada. One of Geeta’s cousins emotionally said there was a time Mahavir fought with everyone to make wrestlers out of his daughters. “The mentality of the village has changed after the girls went on to win medals. Mahavir’s story is out there for the world to see with this movie.”

The star spent two hours with the Phogats, helping with preparations and talking to the media who were thrilled to cover the village’s first celebrity wedding. By 6 pm, the wedding began. Geeta looked resplendent in a pretty pink lehenga. Pawan, dressed in red safa and sherwani, looked dapper.

Though conversation at the shaadi revolved around the bride the couple, Dangal was hotly discussed. Amid blessings and best wishes, village elders who once muttered how the chhoris were a shame to the brethren, were visibly sad that the pride of their community was moving to her ‘real’ home.

Shilpi Sampad (MID-DAY; November 19, 2016)

Promotions for the Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal will begin shortly, but in a setback for team, Fatima Sana Shaikh, who plays the star's elder daughter, has fractured her leg. She will be seen essaying the role of Olympian Geeta Phogat in the sports drama, inspired by wrestling coach Mahavir Phogat.

Says an insider, “Although the shoot has wrapped up, Fatima still follows the workout regime that she used to while prepping for Dangal. Last week, she was practising kick boxing when she fell and injured her right foot. The Xray revealed a hairline fracture. She has been advised rest for six weeks.”

In February this year, Fatima had fractured her ankle while shooting for a wrestling scene and was put on rest for a couple of weeks.

Adds the insider, “She is moving around with the help of a crutch and is expected to participate in promotional activities. She will be accompanying Aamir and Sanya Malhotra [ the other actress playing Babita Phogat in the film] to Geeta’s wedding tomorrow.”

National wrestling coach Bishnoi on how he made wrestlers out of greenhorns
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 7, 2016)

Kripashankar Patel Bishnoi was readying women wrestlers for the Rio Olympics, which took place in August this year, when Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra were sent to train under him as part of their prep for Aamir Khan’s Dangal. Although it was just for a film, the national wrestling coach was determined to make their moves seem as authentic as can be when the cameras rolled.

Bishnoi made Sanya and Fatima follow almost the same drill as the Phogat sisters — Geeta and Babita, who they essay in Dangal — and Sakshi Malik, who clinched a bronze at Rio. “This film is not just a mere acting job,” the coach says, adding, “They were trained as professional wrestlers. Though the intensity was a tad less, the process was the same. They fought wrestlers of various weight and strength categories. In 14 months, what they pulled off is phenomenal. Even Geeta and Babita couldn’t have done as much justice to the film as Sanya and Fatima have.”



Bishnoi, an Arjuna awardee, along with popular wrestler Jagdish Kaliraman, had taken the final casting call for Dangal. “The initial plan was to cast young wrestlers and accordingly, Shilpi Sheron and Pooja Dhanda were shortlisted for the film. However, the raw intensity of Fatima and Sanya gave depth to the movie. Another young woman called Annie had also caught our attention. They were chosen from among 10,000 girls,” he reveals.

When we got down to rating, Fatima scored better than the other two: “She lacked strength, but compensated for it with her grappling abilities. Sanya was stronger. Being a former ballet dancer, she was more flexible, too. Over months of training, Sanya picked up pace. Fatima broke her bone [Bishnoi refuses to divulge more about the injury], and ended up training harder.”

The coach credits Aamir for infusing energy into the film. “I was worried that he, as an overweight 50-year-old, could possibly hurt himself. But, he proved to me that zidd is what superstars are made of. While training, he would perform a stunt twice or thrice over, but when in front of the camera, he didn’t need a retake,” says Bishnoi.

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; April 18, 2015)

Makers of the upcoming Aamir Khan-starrer, Dangal, had been on an intense hunt to zero in on the girls to play his on-screen daughters. In the film, the actor will be seen as wrestling coach Mahavir Phogat, who trained three Commonwealth Games gold medalists, including his daughters Geeta and Babita Kumari, to success. Now if sources are to be believed, the makers have finalised a young athlete from Haryana to essay Geeta’s part.

Earlier, there were reports that Akshara Haasan, Taapsee Pannu and Deeksha Seth were being considered for the role. Says a source, “Over 15,000 girls were auditioned in Haryana, includingTaapsee and television actress Kritika Kamra. But the production team selected a local athlete.”

The film’s director, Nitesh Tewari, dismisses the buzz.

Srishti Dixit (DNA; February 18, 2015)


Now, the grapevine says that Baby actress, Taapsee Pannu, is among the four girls shortlisted for the role of Geeta. Her performance in the Neeraj Pandey film Baby was appreciated and if she does Dangal, it will be a big turning point in Ms Pannu’s career. Geeta is the first Indian woman wrestler to have won at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 14, 2015)