Panga: Kangana Ranaut’s coach was ‘awestruck’ at actor’s quick grasp of dodging techniques

Kangana Ranaut’s upcoming film Panga will see the actor play a mother who makes a comeback as a Kabaddi player. Now, her trainer Gauri Wadekar has spoken to Mumbai Mirror about Kangana’s prep for the role in Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s film.

Kangana, who plays a former national-level Kabaddi player in the film, required rigorous training. Speaking about Kangana, Gauri said, “She told me to teach her the basic moves on our first meeting itself. I was shocked as I teach young girls and even they take almost six months to reach that level of training. Kangana picked up the dodging techniques just by observing it a couple of times. I was awestruck.”

Explaining the rigours, Gauri continued, “Starting at 8 am every day, we would train for two hours. Kangana never missed a session and was punctual throughout. We shot in Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai in different weathers, but Kangana’s dedication never wavered.”

“Kabaddi requires swift legwork, so her workout routine included squats and lunges. We trained on attack strategies, defence, how to go for the bonus and which leg to put the weight on in each position.”

Gauri explained how pre-pregnancy and post-pregnancy working and training modules were different. “She had to weigh more than usual for the post-pregnancy shoot, so for that segment we focused on gaining muscle rather than losing weight.”

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Explaining her own preparedness, Kangana said, “You need a lot of stamina in Kabaddi, just like wrestling, so I stuck to a wholesome diet that included carbohydrates, fat, raw vegetables and juices. I had to gain a lot of weight in my legs to look authentic as a raider (player who attacks from the opposing team), but I had to change it for the part where I am shown as a retired player.”

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Gauri was apprehensive about how Kangana would fare with real players. She said, “It was almost impossible to distinguish her from them when she was raiding. I was scared as those players could have easily tackled her.”

Panga releases on January 24. It also stars Neena Gupta, Punjabi singer Jassi Gill and Richa Chadha in prominent roles.

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