Showing posts with label Shrikant Vad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shrikant Vad. Show all posts
For Saina, we had to teach Parineeti Chopra to focus on the shuttle-Eshan Naqvi
8:13 AM
As they readied her for the upcoming Saina Nehwal biopic, Chopra’s badminton trainers, and the actor, chronicle why the serve is an integral part of the sport
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; March 17, 2021)
When pitted against the average man’s 50, Usain Bolt’s muscle composition includes 80 per cent fast-twitch fibres (sprinting facilitators), giving him an added advantage on the field. Swimmer Michael Phelps, on the other hand, apparently produces half the amount of lactic acid of a typical athlete, which implies that his muscles recover significantly faster than that of his competitors. Not negating the insurmountable toil that goes into their victories, genetic predisposition plays a crucial role in determining athletes’ success. Of course, celebrities imitating athletes for cinematic adaptations need not be sporting mavericks. Yet, surely some discussion on their tendencies to play a sport may make for discussion during the casting process.
Eshan Naqvi, one among Parineeti Chopra’s trainers for the upcoming film, Saina, says the actor’s “hand-to-eye-coordination” skills gave her an edge. Another factor that helped her learn the tropes of badminton was her training in kalaripayattu and yoga. “Flexibility is a key factor in badminton because the shuttle can move in any direction. A player should be able to move and twist accordingly — pull herself, and turn in any direction. We needed to build the kind of endurance that would aid her in this sport. The endurance you build as a runner doesn’t help you here, because it is [sports-specific],” says Naqvi, adding that footwork training was among the few things that Chopra was taught, early on in the process of readying her to play Saina Nehwal.
“Just like choreography in dance, badminton needs one to learn movements to conserve energy. An athlete must only take as many steps as is needed. Parineeti hasn’t played the sport before, so we had to build muscle endurance, and power, and teach her to focus on the shuttle.”
Given that he had only seven months to prepare the actor, Naqvi says he had to address different requirements, simultaneously. “We didn’t have time to indulge in the basics because there was a lot that she needed to learn. We were teaching her explosive work, because the higher that an athlete jumps and catches the shuttle, the more the advantage she has. We had to also cater to [advance] work at the same time. Sometimes, she would need to gather herself. When she was shooting in London for The Girl On The Train, she would wake up at 5 am to train. When she was unwell, and couldn’t run, we’d merely make her stand and hit the shuttle.”
Shrikant Vad, president of the Thane Badminton Academy, and under whose watch Naqvi was training Chopra, spent 12 days with her at the academy. “We focused on service, footwork, and point of contact with the shuttle. We know how Saina serves — it is a famous [aspect of her game]. We would watch videos of Saina, and demonstrate [the movements] for her. We paid heed to how her elbow [moved], how she held the [racquet], and her swing. I tried to show her how a player can serve well, which is important in this game. Often, I would set targets, asking her to ensure she hit eight out of 10 shots at the right spot,” says Vad, adding that the job was particularly challenging given that Chopra had not had a brush with the sport.
Chopra says the first advice she got from her trainers, and Nehwal, was to commence living like an athlete, before training like one. “Everything I ate was monitored. I ensured that I had enough carbohydrates, fats and protein in my diet to provide the required energy, and had an amazing set of nutritionists who catered to it. We wanted to make sure that I had enough stamina to play the game for 12 hours, as would be required when we began filming. Weight-loss was never the motive. In fact, body-wise, I was correct. I had to develop the muscles of my thigh, and target muscle groups that I never had, in the past.”
Agility training, and explosive movements, she says, formed the crux of her routine, as Naqvi adds that they took to light weight-lifting sessions as well. “The shuttle is the fastest-recorded [object] in sport, traveling at a speed of 400 km per hour. It takes a normal person four years to be ready to merely play a match, let alone [win a competition]. You need to be agile and execute fast movements, and hence, heavy weight-lifting is not an option. Parineeti’s routine was so vigorous that she would do 30 minutes of physiotherapy to make her core stronger.”
Chopra says her day would commence with meditation, before she jumped into a two-hour practice session. “On alternate days, my coach made me do strength training with a mix of cardio and machine work. I was excited to learn how to smash. Saina’s smashes are a class apart, and I would ask the team when I would learn it. I was taught how she places them, and the power she employs. It takes years to smash like she does.”
Chopra with Vad and Naqvi during the training sessions
The footage of Saina Nehwal biopic is magical-Amole Gupte
8:31 AM
Parineeti Chopra and Eshan Naqvi in action
Amole Gupte is feeling good about his next directorial, while his screen Saina, Parineeti Chopra, camps at a Navi Mumbai stadium to keep up with prep, badminton practice and the film’s shoot
Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 7, 2019)
After four months of extensive training to play badminton ace Saina Nehwal in the Amole Gupte-directed sports biopic, Parineeti Chopra arrived at a sports complex in Navi Mumbai earlier this week.Now, Mirror has learnt that the 31-year-old actress will be camping at the facility for the ongoing schedule so she can carry on with her exercise and training regimen, and badminton practice as she continues to shoot for the Bhushan Kumar production.
Previously—months before the film had rolled—Parineeti had worked on imbibing the nuances for her portrayal, from the look to the language, diction and mannerisms, besides meeting and interacting with Saina. Informing that the schedule will wrap up after a week, Amole says, “We’re currently mapping up Saina’s journey. Not just the ups and downs, but also the smaller matches, the state and national-level games. Having seen the rushes, I’m very happy with what we’ve shot so far, and we will also be filming some more amazing scenes in the coming days. The footage is magical.”
The filmmaker goes on to add that his leading lady is training with some of India’s best badminton coaches, including Shrikant Vad, Akshay Devolkar and Eshan Naqvi. “Shrikant is a Dadaji Konddeo awardee and Eshan also plays Parineeti’s coach in the film. There’s a huge conglomerate of badminton bigwigs involved with this film, it’s basically the kind of support for Saina, which is huge,” Amole beams.
Ask him how Parineeti is coping with the long and strenuous days training sessions start as early as 5 am every day—the director informs, “She is making sure to get her beauty sleep. With the kind of hard work that she’s putting in, we’re ensuring that she also rests well. So, when we begin the day’s shoot, everyone has landed well, looking fresh and raring to go.”
The film’s team will start shooting the international games portions in December on a set that recreates international-level stadiums, where Saina played her tournaments. “Parineeti is an amazing actor. I’m not saying this because we’ve cast her in the film. (Looking back), I’m blessed I started a year later than initially planned,” Amole concludes on a positive note.
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