Bollywood actors acquire skills for their films

Akshay Kumar’s recent release ‘Jolly LLB 2’ has worked its magic at the box-office, but the actor is not one to rest on his laurels. According to reports, Akshay has already begun prepping for ‘Gold’, which revolves around India’s first Olympic medal win as a free nation in the year 1948 at the 14th Olympiad in London. The actor will be essaying the role of Balbir Singh, who was a member of the three-time Olympic-winning Indian hockey team. Recent reports state that as a part of his initial preparation, Akshay has already begun practicing hockey. Turns out, Khiladi Kumar has been practicing the sport daily in the grounds of a school situated in the suburbs of Mumbai. Sunny Kaushal, who plays the second lead in the Reema Kagti-directed film, too joins him for the training. While ‘Gold’ is slated to hit theatres on August 15, 2018, Akshay has several releases lined up this year – ‘Toilet: Ek Prem Katha’, ‘2.0’ and ‘PadMan’. He will also be seen in an extended cameo in ‘Naam Shabana’.

PIC: Kangana Ranaut trains for ‘Rangoon’

Kangana Ranaut’s Katti Batti might have failed to connect with the audience, but the actress isn’t wasting any time grieving the loss. Instead, she has started preparing for Vishal Bharadwaj’s Rangoon, reports Bollywoodlife.com. Kangana’s character in the film is that of an expert horse rider and the actress is leaving no stones unturned to get into the skin of her character. A source in the report has been quoted as saying that Kangana practices at 6 am everyday to perfect the nuances of her character.

Kangana isn’t the only Bollywood actor who is training hard for her film. There are others, too, who do not shy away from going the extra mile for their characters. Read more…

Gone are the days when Bollywood film scripts were developed on the sets. Films are now planned well in advance to give the actors time to prepare for the role. And the actors are making the most of it. Instead of appearing on the sets unprepared, actors are investing months and at times, even years to prepare for the role that they have been signed for. They try to imbibe the skills, language and mannerisms required to play the role effortlessly. Actors also don't shy away from venturing into uncharted waters when they sign up to learn a new skill that would add depth to their on-screen character and make it more believable. While this requires a lot of efforts on their part, the results are there for all to see. Let's take a look at some such actors who didn't mind going the extra mile to breathe life into their character.

According to a DNA report, Alia is all set to take hockey lessons for her upcoming film, Udta Punjab. The actress has scheduled her training at 7 am in the morning. Alia posted a picture on Instagram and captioned it as, "My New Friend." [sic] Alia Bhatt, who has made a special place in Bollywood with films like Student Of The Year, Highway and 2 States, is preparing to thrill her fans in her upcoming film Udta Punjab.

Shahid Kapoor will be seen riding a horse in Vikas Bahl’s Shaandar. The actor recently posted a photo of himself on his Twitter account where he is seen sitting on a horse named Rocky. He wrote, “Rocky and me, getting to know each other better #Shaandar” [sic] In the film Kaminey, Shahid was seen running with the horses but he had never got the opportunity to ride one. During the shoot of Shaandar, he learnt the basics of horse riding. However, Shahid has taken a liking to the sport and wants to learns the nuances of the art. He finds horse riding to be very exciting and thrilling.

Salman Khan is learning boxing and fencing for his upcoming film Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. He plays a double role in the film and one of the characters is a fighter. So he has been undergoing training to fit the bill of a boxer.

Aditya Roy Kapur will be seen playing an artist in his upcoming film, Fitoor. To master the technique of sketching, the actor has been working on his doodling skills. He has placed an easel in his living room and is trying to sketch a picture of Katrina Kaif on it. Every day he spends some time trying to hone his skill. In fact, he has grown so fond of the art that he has also attempted landscapes. The actor is looking forward to revisit Kashmir to capture the beauty of the valley in his paintings.

Deepika Padukone learnt sword-fighting and horse-riding for her next project, Bajirao Mastani that also stars Ranveer Singh. Deepika is also a stickler for perfection when it comes to her roles, which is perhaps why the actress chose to learn the skill rather than using a body double for the film. She has often been lauded for the kind of films she has attempted and the efforts she has put in for the roles.

Sidharth Malhotra has learnt mixed martial arts for his next film Brothers. The actor will be seen playing the role of a wrestler and has learnt mixed martial arts which is a full-contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques. Sidharth has opted for what he calls ‘food rehab,’ by eating only vegetarian food with no extra carbs or protein. He has cut down on his calorie intake too. For a long time, Sidharth was on a heavy non-vegetarian diet, which mainly included red meat and fish, as he needed to gain weight for a role.