Abhimanyu Dassani is gearing up for the release of Nikamma, which went on floors in early 2020. Sabbir Khan’s directorial offering, also starring Shilpa Shetty Kundra and Shirley Setia, required Dassani to pile on 10 kilos to sport a muscular look. The actor remembers beginning his physical prep for the actioner in late 2019.

“I had to put on a lot of weight, but at the same time, I had to sport a chiselled look. In 2019, I trained in Krav Maga in Turkey and learnt hand-to-hand combat for the film. I had to look the part of a ‘nikamma’. My hair had to be [messy], almost an out-of-bed look,” says Dassani. 

The weight gain was aided by a strict diet plan. The actor banked on a five-meal plan, comprising wholesome home-made food. “For lunch and dinner, I had two bowls of protein, mostly chicken, with a bowl of green vegetables and some brown rice. I complemented this with a stipulated water intake, and hitting the gym.”

Dassani had a bigger challenge after a chunk of the movie was shot. The actor was expected to shed the extra kilos soon, as he was to begin filming Meenakshi Sundareshwar (2021), which required him to adopt a lean guy-next-door look.

He remembers, “I had to lose all the weight for Meenakshi Sundareshwar. [After the film was shot], I had to regain the [extra] weight for Nikamma because we had a few days’ shoot and a song sequence left.”

Actor Anshuman Jha is gearing up for some nail-biting hand-to-hand combat on screen, for which he is taking professional training. While the actor is well-versed with several fighting styles, the one he is learning for the film is quite different.

Known as Krav Maga, this mixed-martial art and self- defence system is at the core of action that Jha’s character will perform in the upcoming film, Lakadbaggha. “I have also trained in Kalaripayattu and Parkour in between, but Krav Maga is a different beast,” says the actor, who reveals that being trained in taekwondo as a kid, did help him to a certain extent. “Because of my training in taekwondo, my basics are in the right direction,” he shares.

Prepping for the action sequence since July, the actor is now in New York to train with Tsahi Shemesh, a self-defence expert, specialising in Krav Maga.

The Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele actor has put many months of hard work into the craft, and admits he has been feeling the strongest. “Sparring with Shemesh on the floor is a reality check on how far ahead the road is for me,” he says, adding, “Any martial arts form is eventually about kicks and punches, defence and offence. Only the form and style changes. Balance remains the key. But the body reacts differently to when you’re 12 to when you re 32. But I’m feeling 12 again. The curiosity to discover and learn can do magic to the mind and brain.”

For Jha, the journey has been a physically challenging one, but he aims to ace the martial art , and not just learn it for the film. “It’s pushing my mind, body and core. But that will eventually help me perform, as the movement will flow and not look forced. I want to give it my 200% so that the audience doesn’t feel let down in any aspect of the film. It’s our responsibility as artistes to serve the best that we can,” he shares.

Thanks to his training, the actor promises some raw, in-your-face hand to hand combat in the action flick. “The film combines my two biggest passions —love for animals and action — so I’m invested. There’s action with a purpose. There’ll be an eclectic fusion of Indian and foreign cast, crew to bring forth their expertise for a first of its kind film in the genre from India,” he ends.

Two years ago, for the Neeraj Pandey-directed spy thriller Baby, in which I played officer Shabana Khan, I trained in Krav Maga, an Israeli self-defence technique. That was the first time I was trying martial arts so it was a different kind of challenge. I had a few action sequences in the film and I think I pulled them off convincingly because my performance got me a lot of raves. Two-three months after the film's release I was told to continue with my training as a prequel was being planned.

Naam Shabana released earlier this year on March 31. I trained intensively for 10-12 months before the film went on the floors. Not only Krav Maga, I also learnt Aikido, a modern Japanese martial arts form developed by Morihei Ueshiba. The prep was a compulsion as I'm shown as an Aikido player and there was a college tournament sequence in the script which sees me displaying my skills. I had to get it bang on for the sequence to look authentic. I also learnt basic Mixed Martial Arts. It's important to know MMA to pull off different kinds of fights. I remember I was busy with the promotions of Shoojit Sircar's Pink at the time. I had to find time in my hectic schedule for the two-hour martial arts course, either before or after my daily commitments. I trained with Mehul Vora and Jatin Naik from Akshay Kumar's academy of self defense. Fortunately I picked it up fast and the martial arts made me physically strong. There were no new injuries but a pelvic injury I had suffered during the Baby shoot resurfaced. I had a labral tear in my hip joint and the high kicks aggravated it. So, after training for two hours, I had to go for physiotherapy sessions for the next two hours. That was a stressful time! I'd been a little apprehensive during the Baby shoot as it was only my second Hindi film after Chashme Baddoor. I thought that if I told anyone from the film's team about my injury, they would throw me out immediately. So, I would quietly attend physiotherapy session. No one found out till after we had finished shooting the fight sequence.

I still practice martial arts whenever I have some time to myself because now it's just about brushing up my skills. I was already playing squash to stay fit. I think I am genetically athletic and enjoy the challenge of learning something like martial arts, which helps me up my fitness quotient.

I also think it is important for everyone to learn some form of self defense, in particular women who should be well prepared to look after themselves and react according to the situation. As a kid I was always running around and enjoying outdoor sports. My family was always worried about me getting injured but I personally would recommend it to everyone. Any sport helps one in the long run.