Fitness coach Rajiv Mehra explains how he helped both actors transform into pros
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 22, 2020)

After signing the official remake of Nani’s Telugu hit, Jersey, Shahid Kapoor started training in cricket with fitness coach Rajiv Mehra. The three-month program predominantly involved improving the actor’s batting skills. “Shahid was the typical gully cricket player who never got a chance to go professional. His character in the film is a first-class batsman who should have played for India. So, naturally, we couldn’t have an amateur-looking batsman on screen,” explains Rajiv, adding that they worked on correcting Shahid’s basic technique and style of playing different strokes. “We needed a flamboyant batsman to lend some authenticity to his aggressive shots.”

Point out that Indian cricket has seen several aggressive batsmen like Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli, and Rajiv insists that they didn’t have a reference point to work with. “This is a fictional character with a body language of his own. The only aim was to be a good batsman,” he explains, adding that Shahid’s diet and fitness regimen during the prep was as grueling as that of a professional sportsperson.

The fitness expert, who has previously worked with Ranveer Singh and team for Kabir Khan’s upcoming directorial ’83, informs that Shahid would practice three hours a day on a turf in Mumbai with focus on cover drives, sweep and hook shots, straight drive and even the big sixes. “It was a daily practice of 200 strokes of each shot. Shahid had some understanding of the game as he played cricket in his childhood. We went for 75 per cent perfection and allowed a bit of a leeway so there would be some uniqueness to his batting style,” he explains.

While the film, helmed by Gowtam Tinnanuri, who also directed the Telugu original, went on the floors in December last year, the cricketing portions were shot last month. “Jersey takes a 12-year leap. So, we needed Shahid to play two different cricketers in one film. We started with the older version of his character, who is 36. Now, we will switch to the younger track,” informs Rajiv.

And how has it been different coaching two Bollywood contemporaries in close succession? “Ranveer was a complete beginner; he had not played cricket at all. For him, the challenge was not only to learn the game but also imbibe Kapil Dev’s style. Both Shahid and Ranveer are amazing students of the game. They did a lot of research by themselves, too,” Rajiv raves.

How Ranveer Singh and his team transformed into sportsmen within a year
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 9, 2019)

After getting Ranveer Singh to play Kapil Dev in his next directorial, ’83, in September 2017, Kabir Khan got cracking on the script and pre-production. Simultaneously, the film’s ensemble cast was sweating it out on the field to hone their cricketing skills and to grasp the nuances of their respective characters.

Rajiv Mehra, fitness consultant and assistant to Balwinder Sandhu, former cricketer who was a part of the 1983 World Cup winning team and coached the film’s cast, reveals that the training sessions kicked off in August last year. “Everyone was aware about their characters but getting the technique right was our responsibility. We had to train them to become their characters physically,” Rajiv informs.

Individual training plans were prepared for the reel squad of Ranveer, Harrdy Sandhu, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Saqib Saleem, Ammy Virk, Jiiva, Sahil Khattar, Chirag Patil, Adinath Kothare, Dhairya Karwa, Dinker Sharma, Jatin Sarna, Nishant Dahiya, and R Badree based on their grasping power and skills. “The biggest challenge was to get them to think like cricketers. After that, we had to tone their bodies to look like that of sportsmen, for which we taught them sprinting techniques and gave body language training. After that came basic batting and bowling lessons,” Rajiv explains, adding, “It was like teaching kids, as we had to start from the basics.”

He goes on to reveal that the makers didn’t want anything to look mediocre on screen. “The actors represent legends of cricket. For example, Tahir can’t have sloppy batting skills because he is playing Sunil Gavaskar. We had to look for perfection in technique and physical appearance,” Rajiv explains, adding that Ranveer joined training in October last year with average batting skills. “But his bowling left us scratching our heads.”

However, it was the 34-yearold actor’s dedication that made him overcome shortcomings. “Ranveer, with the boys, would be at the ground from 8 am till noon, continuing to practice even after others had left,” he informs. The actor, who had started work on the film soon after his last release, Simmba, was “a little heavy at 86 kg”. “’83 demanded him to be around 75 kg. So, in the second half of the day, he’d train with me at the gym, ending with swimming, for four months.” Then, there was a niggle in Ranveer’s knee, making it difficult to run fast. To combat it, the fitness team prepared a rehab plan.

In April, Rajiv accompanied the squad of the Sajid Nadiadwala, Madhu Mantena, Shibasish Sarkar and Vishu Induri production for a bonding exercise in Dharamshala. The objective was to get a hang of playing in a real cricket stadium. “Kabir sir wanted to check camera angles and different kinds of shots, so there were mock shoots as well. We practiced twice a day, with mornings reserved for skill development and evenings for strength-training,” he reveals.

In June, the film went on the floors in London with a threemonth schedule and was wrapped up on Monday in Mumbai. At the end of the almost year-long journey, Rajiv believes the actors have become professionals in the game. “If you do screen mirroring, things will look exactly like the 1983 World Cup and that’s the USP of this film,” Rajiv signs off.